The Federal Government has filed charges against the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

The charge, marked C2/99/2026 and dated February 16, 2026, lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as complainant and El-Rufai as defendant.

According to court documents seen by newsmen, the prosecution claimed that on February 13, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme in Abuja, El-Rufai admitted that he and others unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

In count one, the Federal Government alleges that the admission amounts to an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.

Count two alleges that El-Rufai stated during the same interview that he knew and related with individuals who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications but failed to report them to relevant security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act, 2024.

The third count also claimed that El-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, used technical equipment or systems to unlawfully intercept the National Security Adviser’s phone communications, an act said to have compromised public safety and national security, contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

Details later…

The United States has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerians accused of having links to the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

This was contained in a 3,000-page document dated February 10, released by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and sighted by the correspondent on Monday.

The document also identified individuals sanctioned for cybercrime-related offences and other security threats.

The pronouncement comes on the heels of recent recommendations by the US Congress for visa bans and asset freezes on persons and groups accused of violations of religious freedom and persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso; the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria; and Miyetti Allah Kautal were recommended by United States lawmakers for visa bans and asset freezes.

The OFAC document, titled “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,” detailed individuals of other nationalities and entities whose assets had been frozen, serving as a reference tool.

It also provided notice of actions taken against Specially Designated Nationals, whose property and interests were blocked as part of counter-terrorism efforts.

According to OFAC, the move forms part of its broader efforts to block the property and interests of Specially Designated Nationals and prevent financial dealings with them.

“This publication of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is designed as a reference tool providing actual notice of actions by OFAC with respect to Specially Designated Nationals and other persons (which term includes both individuals and entities) whose property is blocked, to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programmes administered by OFAC,” the agency said.

Among those listed is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born on August 23, 1990, in Nigeria. Yusuf was identified as having ties to Boko Haram and was reported to hold a Nigerian passport.

Yusuf was among six Nigerians convicted in 2022 for setting up a Boko Haram cell in the United Arab Emirates to raise funds for insurgents in Nigeria. The six men were convicted in the UAE for attempting to send $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.

Another individual, Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born on March 4, 1953, in Nigeria, was designated under SDNTK sanctions. He appeared under several aliases, including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.

Also designated was Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa. He was reportedly born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State, and was flagged under terrorism-related sanctions.

Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf, was listed with varying birth years between 1990 and 1995. He was identified as a Boko Haram leader and sanctioned under terrorism provisions.

Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, whose name appeared twice in the publication, was born in 1976 in Maiduguri, Nigeria. He was linked to Boko Haram and listed under several aliases, including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman.

Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, in Nigeria, was listed with a Nigerian passport. He was reported to reside in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and was linked to Boko Haram.

Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, was born in 1982 in Mainok, Borno State. He was identified as having ties to ISIL.

Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, in Nigeria, was listed under CYBER2 sanctions and was reported to hold a Nigerian passport.

The inclusion of these names in the OFAC list highlights Washington’s continued focus on countering terrorism financing and cyber threats.

The sanctions mean that all property and interests of these individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

Nigerians listed under the US Treasury sanctions face asset freezes under Executive Order 13224.

The United States officially designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013. According to the US State Department, the group is responsible for numerous attacks in the northern and northeastern regions of the country, as well as in the Lake Chad Basin in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, that have killed thousands of people since 2009.

The US Secretary of State determines countries that have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.

Such countries are designated under three laws: Section 1754(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

In October 2025, for the second time, US President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would be added to the US Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern.”

Trump, in a post on X, explained that Nigeria would be placed on a religious freedom watchlist, alleging that Christians were facing persecution and being killed by Muslims.

Nigeria was first designated as a Country of Particular Concern in 2020 under President Trump, but former President Joe Biden removed Nigeria from the list shortly after assuming office.

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says he will ensure that only candidates aligned with President Bola Tinubu win the February 21 area council election.

Wike spoke on Saturday in Abuja during the 60th birthday celebration of Sandy Onor, a former senator who represented Cross River Central.

The minister said party affiliation would not influence his decision in the council elections, adding that his support will be for candidates backing the president.

“We have the FCT area council election coming up on February 21, and I have a duty to support any candidate that supports President Tinubu to win,” Wike said.

“It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who is not supporting Tinubu does not win in the election, and I owe no apology for my stance.”

Ahead of the election, candidates have demanded a free and fair process with equal opportunity for all.

In January, Moses Paul, a candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), appealed to Wike to support his candidacy.

Paul said he shares the minister’s views on performance-driven governance, and described himself as “Mr Project”, a moniker associated with Wike when he was governor of Rivers.

The ADC candidate said he has addressed community needs within AMAC by supporting the renovation of primary schools and improvements to primary healthcare centres.

Christopher Maikalangu, chairman of AMAC, was elected in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Maikalangu defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in April 2025 and is seeking re-election.