El-Rufai’s Televised Revelation: A Possible Key to Nigeria’s Military Information Leaks
By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608
For years, the painful questions about insecurity in Nigeria have always been: how is sensitive military information leaking? How does classified operational detail leave secure rooms and end up in the hands of insurgents in the bush? How do bandits know the timing, the routes, and even the strength of troops deployed against them? Nigerians have said there are “moles” within the system—someone who feeds information to the enemy.
Recently, a new angle entered public discussion when former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, appeared on Arise TV and claimed that the phone of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was bugged. He said he learned of an alleged plan to arrest him through a leaked phone conversation and admitted that “we also have our ways” of listening to calls.
That statement cannot be treated lightly. The National Security Adviser is at the center of Nigeria’s security structure. He coordinates high-level decisions, including military operations and strategic responses to insurgency. If his communication is compromised, then the problem is not personal. It is national.
When a top security official’s phone can be tapped, what else can not be accessed?
Wiretapping at that level is not gossip. It is a breach of national security protocol. And if such interception is possible, then we must consider whether this is the missing link behind repeated military ambushes.
Let us reason carefully. In the past, many assumed the leak came from radicalized soldiers on the ground. Some suspected bribed officers. Others blamed informants living near military bases. That is possible. Human betrayal has always existed in warfare. But what if the leak is not only human? What if it is technological?
Modern warfare depends heavily on communication. It is not only about guns. It is about signals, devices, and digital systems. If high-level calls discussing operations are intercepted, then even partial information can be deadly.
Insurgents do not need the full battle plan. They only need the timing and direction. Imagine a call discussing a planned operation in a specific forest area. The date and the movement direction is mentioned. That alone is enough for the insurgents to prepare; to plant explosives and position fighters. They will wait for the troops to arrive, and the ambush begins.
Repeated ambush suggests foreknowledge. It suggests anticipation. It suggests the enemy is informed. When someone publicly claims that high-level security calls are being monitored without court orders, it demands investigation. If such capability exists outside official legal channels, then Nigeria is facing more than internal betrayal. It is facing parallel surveillance systems.
Who owns such systems? Who funds them? Who operates them? Who benefits from the information gathered? These are not political questions. They are security questions. There have also been recurring political allegations linking insecurity to past political struggles, including the period of former President Goodluck Jonathan versus General Buhari presidential election. Some commentators have alleged linkage between certain political actors and imported armed groups. These claims remain controversial till date.
However, suspicion is not evidence. What is needed is forensic investigation. If the NSA’s phone was tapped, there must be digital traces. Telecommunications systems keep records. Devices leave logs. Cyber forensic experts can detect unusual interception patterns. Intelligence agencies are trained to investigate such breaches.
There must be a thorough audit, even beyond one phone. The military must examine broader communication discipline. Are secure lines always used for sensitive discussions? Are encrypted systems consistently applied? Are personal devices ever used for urgent decisions. Small lapses in protocol can create major vulnerabilities. In many countries, security breaches happen because of carelessness as much as conspiracy.
Another possibility is insider compromise at a higher level than previously imagined. Not just junior personnel leaking information, but someone closer to the planning structure- closer to the NSA. This is uncomfortable to consider, but infiltration has happened in many countries before.
If insurgents consistently know troop movements, someone is speaking, or someone is listening. We must also consider cyber intrusion. Advanced spyware and interception tools are no longer rare. They can be purchased illegally. Criminal networks and armed groups increasingly use digital tools. Nigeria is not isolated from global cyber threats.
If someone has the resources to intercept high-ranking security communication, then military operational secrecy is vulnerable. There is also an international dimension. Nigeria engages in security cooperation with foreign partners, including the United States. High-level decisions may involve shared intelligence. If communication channels are compromised, it affects trust and credibility. Foreign partners will hesitate to share sensitive information if internal security is weak.
National security is built on credibility. That is why the claim of wiretapping must not be dismissed as political noise. Whether true, exaggerated, or misunderstood, it demands professional investigation. Repeated ambushes are not random jungle accidents. They show planning. They show preparation. They show that the enemy often knows more than they should.
The possible explanation for military information leakage likely lies in three combined factors. First, insider compromise. Someone within the system may be leaking information deliberately for money, ideology, or coercion. Second, technological interception. Phones, communication systems, and digital networks may be compromised through illegal wiretapping or cyber intrusion. Third, operational weakness. Poor communication discipline, inconsistent encryption, and informal practices may expose sensitive plans.
When these factors combine, the result is deadly. This issue goes beyond politics. It is about the lives of soldiers. Every time information leaks, our soldiers are placed in danger before they even arrive at the battlefield. If their movement plans are exposed, they are being sent into traps. That is not just a tactical failure. It is a moral failure.
The government must first put aside all other allegations against Nasir El- Rufai and conduct a transparent and independent investigation into all allegations of communication interception at high levels because it is a matter of national and security importance. Cybersecurity systems must be audited. Telecommunications data must be reviewed. If unauthorized surveillance systems exist, they must be identified and dismantled. If moles exist within the military or security structure, they must be exposed and prosecuted. If operational discipline is weak, it must be corrected immediately.
Silence protects no one. Denial saves no lives. Every ambush carries a message: the enemy knew something. The only way to stop the ambush is to stop the flow of information. Until Nigeria confronts all possible channels of leakage — human betrayal, cyber intrusion, and illegal surveillance — soldiers will continue fighting at a disadvantage.
This is not about party rivalry. It is not about defending or attacking any individual. It is about national survival.
Young men and women wear the uniform and step into danger believing that their country has secured their backs. They trust that their plans are secret. They trust that their movement is protected. When they are ambushed because information leaked, that trust is broken.
Our soldiers go out on carefully planned operations. They rely on intelligence, coordination, and secrecy. Yet again and again, they are ambushed. They walk into traps. Some are captured. Some never return home. This is not coincidence. When an army is repeatedly ambushed, it means the enemy knows something in advance.
Something is deeply wrong, and we must stop pretending otherwise. Behind every fallen soldier is a mother waiting for a call that will never come. Behind every captured officer is a family praying in fear. Behind every failed operation is a community that remains under threat. We cannot continue like this.
If someone is listening from the shadows, we must find them. If our communication systems are weak, we must fix them without delay. Because every leak is paid for with blood. And the blood being spilled is not political. It is human. It is Nigerian.
*©️ 2026 EphraimHill DataBlog* Idowu Ephraim Faleye is a freelance writer promoting good governance and public service delivery +2348132100608
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