Date: September 7, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
The family of former Kaduna State Governor and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has given Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), seven days to provide evidence supporting his allegation that the former governor deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly withdraw the claim and apologise.
The ultimatum was contained in a statement issued on Monday, September 7, and signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family. The dispute follows comments made by Musa during a September 3 appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where the Defence Minister made serious allegations concerning El-Rufai’s record in Kaduna State.
During the television interview, Musa was discussing the political and security situation in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023. When asked whether people in Southern Kaduna remained unhappy with the former governor, Musa said their feelings went beyond unhappiness.
“We can never be happy with somebody who deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” Musa said during the programme, according to reports of the interview.
The Defence Minister also criticised what he described as the divisive nature of governance under El-Rufai, alleging that tensions between communities in different parts of Kaduna State had become particularly severe during the former governor’s administration. Musa also referred to videos and public statements that he said demonstrated El-Rufai’s approach to security and his dealings with bandits.
The El-Rufai family, however, said the allegation that the former governor deliberately planned killings was a grave accusation that required credible evidence. The family maintained that Musa presented no evidence during the television programme to substantiate the claim.
The family therefore challenged the Defence Minister to produce the evidence behind his allegation or retract the statement through the same medium on which it was made. It gave Musa seven days from September 7 to comply, warning that failure to do so could result in legal action.
The controversy has since expanded beyond the family statement, with El-Rufai’s lawyers issuing a formal pre-action letter to the Defence Minister. According to Premium Times, the lawyers demanded a public apology and ₦10 billion in compensation as a proposed settlement over what they described as defamatory statements. The letter also reportedly demanded that Musa preserve recordings, transcripts, notes and other materials connected to the television interview and disclose the evidence upon which his allegations were based.
The lawyers further demanded that any retraction be given at least the same prominence as the original allegations, including publication in two nationally circulating newspapers. They warned that legal proceedings could follow if the minister failed to provide a satisfactory response within the stipulated period.
The dispute touches on one of the most politically and socially sensitive periods in Kaduna State's recent history. Southern Kaduna experienced repeated episodes of communal violence, killings, displacement and insecurity both before and during El-Rufai's administration. An investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting documented a series of attacks between June and August 2020 in which 136 people were killed in Southern Kaduna communities.
However, the existence of killings and insecurity in the region is separate from the specific allegation that El-Rufai personally or deliberately planned the killing of residents. The family is now demanding that Musa establish that particular claim with evidence rather than relying on the broader history of violence in the region.
The family has also rejected other allegations attributed to Musa, including claims concerning the payment of bandits and the demolition of houses belonging to people allegedly targeted by the former governor. El-Rufai's lawyers have argued that demolitions undertaken during his administration were carried out for lawful and public purposes and denied that the former governor deliberately ordered the destruction of properties because of personal disagreements.
The issue of payments to groups associated with violent conflicts has a more complicated history. Reports of statements made by El-Rufai in 2016 indicate that his administration had engaged some Fulani groups following violence and reprisals linked to the 2011 post-election crisis and that compensation was made in connection with cattle losses claimed by some groups. However, those historical statements do not, by themselves, establish the separate allegation that El-Rufai deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna.
The seven-day ultimatum now places the Defence Minister in a difficult position. As the country's chief political authority responsible for defence matters, Musa's public statements on security carry significant weight, particularly when they concern a former governor and a current opposition political figure. Any evidence he produces could intensify scrutiny of El-Rufai's administration and potentially reopen broader questions about the handling of communal violence and insecurity in Kaduna.
Conversely, if Musa fails to substantiate the allegation or withdraws it, the dispute could become a significant legal and political controversy involving one of Nigeria's most prominent opposition figures and a serving member of the federal government.
The timing is also politically significant. El-Rufai is now an opposition leader within the African Democratic Congress, while Nigeria is approaching another politically consequential period ahead of the 2027 general elections. Statements linking prominent political figures to past killings are therefore likely to attract heightened public attention and could become part of wider political battles over security, governance and accountability.
For the moment, however, the central issue remains one of evidence. The El-Rufai family has publicly challenged the Defence Minister to substantiate his allegation within seven days or apologise and retract it. The minister's response could determine whether the dispute ends as a political confrontation or develops into a formal legal battle over alleged defamation and responsibility for the violence that affected Southern Kaduna during and before El-Rufai's time in office.