The family of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has given Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (rtd.) seven days to provide evidence supporting an allegation that the former governor deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly retract the claim and apologise.
The ultimatum was issued on Monday, September 7, in a statement signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family. The dispute follows comments made by Musa during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3.
While discussing the security situation and political divisions in Kaduna State, Musa accused El-Rufai of having done “a lot of terrible things” during his tenure and alleged that he had deliberately planned the killing of people in Southern Kaduna. “We can never be happy with somebody who deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” Musa said during the programme.
The minister also accused the former governor of dividing Kaduna along regional lines and alleged that El-Rufai had paid bandits. Musa, however, described El-Rufai as “misguided” rather than an enemy.
Reacting to the allegations, the El-Rufai family said the claim that the former governor deliberately planned killings was a serious allegation that required credible evidence.
The family said no evidence was presented during the television interview to substantiate the claim.
It therefore demanded that Musa either provide evidence within seven days or issue a full public retraction and apology through the same medium where the allegation was made. The family warned that failure to meet the demand would lead it to pursue available legal remedies.
The family’s statement was accompanied by a formal pre-action letter from El-Rufai’s lawyers. The lawyers have also demanded that Musa disclose the evidence and materials on which he based his allegations and warned that defamation proceedings could follow if the matter is not resolved.
The allegations have not been established by a court, and the El-Rufai family has denied them. The dispute now places further attention on the political and security controversies surrounding Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure, particularly the violence that affected Southern Kaduna.
Discover more from Scoop Hub
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
