Published by Osasere Edomwonyi Ikpoba
In a searing interview that has reignited debate over one of Nigeria's most contentious gubernatorial tenures, Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (retd.) has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of deliberately pursuing policies that fuelled division, deepened insecurity, and engineered a toxic environment that physically separated communities along ethnic and religious lines. Appearing on Channels Television's Politics Today programme, the minister did not mince words, alleging that the former governor's administration created a state so fractured that residents from Southern Kaduna could not safely live in the northern part of the state, and vice versa.
The allegations represent one of the most serious public indictments of El-Rufai's eight-year tenure by a senior official of the current administration. Musa, who hails from Kaduna State himself, framed his criticism not as a personal vendetta but as a patriotic duty to expose governance he believes undermined national cohesion. He described the period under El-Rufai as "toxic," asserting that the former governor's actions left indelible scars on the region. "We know how it was when El-Rufai was there—it was toxic. He did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State, dividing the state into two," Musa declared. "It got to the point where if you were from the South, you couldn’t go to the North to live, and those from the North were moving to the South. You can’t imagine that in a country that is supposed to be one".
The Defence Minister's most explosive claim, however, was that El-Rufai deliberately orchestrated violence against the people of Southern Kaduna. When asked whether residents of the region remained unhappy with the former governor, Musa responded with an emotional rejection of the term "unhappy," insisting that the sentiment was far deeper. "If there is anything worse than unhappy, we can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people," he alleged. Musa pointed to past public statements and videos where El-Rufai reportedly discussed making payments to bandits as evidence of policies that compromised security. "He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this; he did that. He didn’t hide it. He was that arrogant to come out and tell people that this was what he did," Musa said.
The minister contrasted the El-Rufai era sharply with the current administration under Governor Uba Sani, whom he credited with making a deliberate effort to reunite a state previously fractured along ethnic and religious lines. He described the change under Sani as a "breath of fresh air," noting that within one year, the governor had begun to dissolve the divisions that had paralysed the state. "You see now, everybody is free. Everybody has a say. It’s not 100 percent, let me tell you; it’s not 100 percent. But you can see that he’s making deliberate effort in uniting the state," Musa said. He argued that the scale of killings in Southern Kaduna under El-Rufai was incomparable to the current situation, adding that the former administration did not create sufficient room for security interventions. "If you look at the number of killings that were done there (southern Kaduna) and what is going on now, you can’t compare at all. And he didn’t give opportunities. We couldn’t do a lot of things," Musa lamented.
Beyond the security and ethnic divisions, Musa also accused El-Rufai of using his office arbitrarily to demolish the properties of residents with whom he had personal disagreements. "I can tell you people what he has done to people living in Kaduna State from his own area. He had just personal [issues] with friends. The next thing, he sends a bulldozer to bulldoze your house down. He’s done it. It’s there on the TV," he alleged. Musa insisted that his accusations were not fabricated, urging the public to verify the claims on YouTube. "He did a lot of things that I’m sure even he too is not proud of. Sitting down to look at it, I think he’s not proud of. And nobody should really, really be able to do that," Musa added.
Despite the gravity of his accusations, Musa stopped short of labelling El-Rufai an outright enemy, describing him instead as "misguided". He rejected the notion that his criticism was motivated by his own identity as a Kaduna indigene, insisting that he was speaking as a Nigerian deeply concerned about the country's unity and stability. "Any individual who is using either religion, tribe, or creed to divide shouldn’t be in government," Musa said, adding that politicians who rely on "divide and rule" tactics have no place in a modern Nigeria seeking national cohesion.
The Defence Minister also linked his allegations to El-Rufai's failed ministerial nomination, defending the Department of State Services' security report that led to the Senate's rejection of the former governor's nomination. Musa dismissed claims that the security clearance failure was politically motivated, characterising the DSS as a highly professional service whose findings reflected serious concerns regarding past actions. The minister argued that any public official who leverages ethnic, religious, or tribal fault lines to divide the country poses a fundamental threat to national stability.
Historically, El-Rufai and his media team have maintained that his administration's security strategy, including engagements through state peace committees and security interventions, was aimed at stemming reprisal attacks, enforcing law and order, and maintaining stability across all local government areas in Kaduna State. However, efforts to reach El-Rufai's media office for a response to the Defence Minister's latest comments have remained unsuccessful.
Musa's allegations come as El-Rufai continues to languish in detention since February over cases bordering on financial fraud, corruption, and illegally tapping the telephone conversations of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The former governor, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, has yet to publicly respond to the latest accusations. His silence has done little to quell the storm of controversy surrounding his legacy, with Musa's statements adding fresh fuel to an already burning debate.
The Defence Minister's intervention has also drawn criticism from some quarters. Retired General Ali-Keffi has chided Musa over what he called the Minister's unprofessional comments on a former governor. Nevertheless, Musa's words have resonated deeply with many in Southern Kaduna, a region that has long complained of marginalisation and violence under El-Rufai's watch. As the nation hurtles toward the 2027 elections, the allegations are likely to further polarise political discourse, particularly in Kaduna State, where the scars of the past remain fresh. For the Defence Minister, the message was clear: leaders who divide the nation have no place in its future. "We should get politicians that want to unite Nigeria," Musa declared.
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