Phone-Tapping Charge: Court Grants El-Rufai N100m Bail, Seizes Passport

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday granted N100 million bail to the detained immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who is facing trial over the alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

As part of the bail conditions, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered the defendant to produce a surety who must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17.

According to the court, the surety must not only be resident in either the Maitama or Asokoro highbrow districts of Abuja but must also deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property not valued below the bail sum.

It held that the surety must also provide evidence of receipt of salary for at least three months with an authenticated letter from the manager of a bank within the jurisdiction of the court.

Furthermore, the court directed the surety to depose an affidavit of means and equally submit a recent passport photograph to its registry.

It added that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate department must be submitted alongside a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.

The defendant was further mandated to surrender his valid international passports and not travel out of the country without permission.

Justice Abdulmalik ordered the defendant to report to the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register, pending the determination of the case.

The trial judge warned that failure to comply with any of the conditions would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.

Besides, the former governor was directed to submit a letter of attestation from the chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council, even as it ordered an accelerated hearing of the case.

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