The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President, Bayo Onanuga has called for a thorough investigation into allegations of illegal wire-tapping made by former Kaduna State governor.

Onanuga made the call in a post on X on Friday, reacting to comments by El-Rufai during a television interview. In the interview, El-Rufai alleged that the National Security Adviser, , ordered his arrest after what he described as a failed attempt to detain him at the on Thursday.

The former governor further claimed that the (ICPC) enlisted the (DSS) to carry out the operation.

“We found out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS to abduct me and then hand me over to them,” El-Rufai said, adding that the commission had become “a personal tool” of the NSA.

When asked how he knew Ribadu authorised the alleged action, El-Rufai replied that he and his associates had listened to intercepted calls, stating: “The government thinks they are the only ones that listen to calls. But we also have our ways.”

Reacting, Onanuga said the remarks amounted to an admission of illegal wire-tapping and should attract the attention of law enforcement agencies. “El-Rufai confesses to wire-tapping Nigeria’s NSA on TV,” he wrote, calling for a full investigation and appropriate sanctions if the claims are substantiated.

Meanwhile, rights lawyer and activist described the reported attempt to arrest El-Rufai as “karma,” but said he was not convinced there was a concrete plan to detain the former governor. Adeyanju noted that Nigerian law permits arrests only with a court-issued warrant or on the basis of probable cause, adding that established legal procedures exist if authorities intend to lawfully arrest any individual.