The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has given Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, seven days to provide evidence backing his allegation that the former governor was involved in planning killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly retract the claim and apologise.
The ultimatum was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Bello el-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives, on behalf of the former governor’s family.
The controversy followed comments made by Musa during a live interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where the minister accused the former governor of “doing a lot of terrible things” in Kaduna State and alleged that his administration contributed to killings recorded in Southern Kaduna during his tenure.
Musa also accused El-Rufai of dividing Kaduna State along regional lines and restricting movement between the northern and southern parts of the state.
More Read
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two,” Musa said during the interview.
“In that, if you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live. Those ones from the north were moving to the south.”
The Defence Minister further alleged that the former governor paid bandits and suggested that El-Rufai had previously acknowledged actions taken by his administration.
More Read
“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this; he did that. He didn’t hide it,” Musa said.
Despite the accusations, Musa said he did not regard the former governor as an enemy, describing him instead as “misguided.”
Reacting to the comments, however, the El-Rufai family said Musa was entitled to his opinion but insisted that an allegation as serious as involvement in killings must be supported with credible evidence.
“During the programme, General Musa alleged that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai actively planned killings in Southern Kaduna while serving as Governor of Kaduna State,” the family said.
“This grave allegation was made without the presentation of any evidence in support of the claim.”
The family consequently demanded that Musa substantiate the allegation within seven days or issue a full public retraction and apology.
More Read
“Accordingly, General Musa (Rtd.) is hereby given seven (7) days from the date of this statement to either provide evidence in support of his allegation or issue a full public retraction and apology,” the statement said.
The family warned that failure to comply with the demand would result in legal action.
“Failure to do so will leave the family with no option but to pursue all appropriate legal remedies available under the law in response to these unsubstantiated allegations,” it added.
The dispute adds to the growing political and public debate surrounding the security situation in Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s administration and the government’s response to violence in Southern Kaduna.
As the seven-day deadline approaches, attention is expected to focus on whether the Defence Minister will provide evidence to support the allegation, withdraw the claim, or face the legal action threatened by the former governor’s family.
