Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The family of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has fired a legal warning shot at the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), giving him seven days to either provide evidence for his explosive allegation that El-Rufai "deliberately planned" the killing of people in Southern Kaduna or face a defamation lawsuit. The ultimatum, which also includes a demand for a ₦10 billion compensation, adds a volatile new chapter to the political tensions ahead of the 2027 elections.
The controversy erupted during a live broadcast of Politics Today on Channels Television on September 3, 2026. In the interview, Musa launched a blistering attack on El-Rufai's eight-year administration (2015-2023), describing the atmosphere in Kaduna as "toxic" and accusing the former governor of deepening ethnic and regional divisions. When asked if the people of Southern Kaduna were still unhappy with El-Rufai, Musa responded with a devastating indictment: "We can never be happy with somebody who deliberately planned for the killing of our people". He further alleged that under El-Rufai's watch, people from Southern Kaduna could not freely live in the northern part of the state, and accused the former governor of using state power to demolish houses belonging to political opponents.
In a statement signed by El-Rufai's eldest son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the family expressed "serious concern" over the minister's remarks. They described the allegation as one of the gravest ever made against the former governor, insisting it was aired without any supporting evidence. "While General Musa (Rtd.) is entitled to hold and express his personal opinions, the El-Rufai family is equally entitled to demand that such serious allegations be substantiated with credible evidence," the statement read.
The family has given the minister until September 14, 2026, to either produce evidence backing his claim or issue a "full public retraction and apology" through the same medium where the allegation was made. "In the absence of such evidence, we call on him to publicly retract the allegation," the family demanded. They warned that failure to comply would leave the family with "no option but to pursue all appropriate legal remedies available under the law".
The ultimatum is backed by a formal pre-action letter from the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, which was reportedly received by the Ministry of Defence on September 7. The letter goes beyond a simple retraction, demanding a public apology on Channels Television with equal prominence, publication of the retraction in two nationally circulating newspapers, preservation of all recordings and transcripts of the interview, and a written undertaking not to repeat the allegations. Crucially, the letter demands ₦10 billion in compensation for what El-Rufai's lawyers described as "injury to Mr El-Rufai's reputation and the distress caused by the broadcast". It explicitly states that the amount is a proposed settlement and not a court award.
Musa, who hails from Southern Kaduna, has not yet publicly responded to the ultimatum. However, during the interview, he defended his remarks by referring to what he described as videos and speeches in which El-Rufai allegedly admitted to paying bandits. He maintained that the people of Southern Kaduna remained deeply affected by the violence recorded during El-Rufai's tenure. On September 7, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Khamis Musa Darazo, entered the fray, cautioning against interpreting the minister's remarks as a religious or sectional attack. Darazo argued that grievances against El-Rufai's governance extended beyond Southern Kaduna. "Our people can never mean only Southern Kaduna. It means the people of Kaduna State as a whole," he said.
The dispute is the latest flashpoint in the increasingly heated exchanges between opposition figures and government officials ahead of the 2027 general elections. El-Rufai, now an opposition leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has been a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration. The Defence Minister's allegations and the family's legal counter-move have set the stage for a high-stakes confrontation that could define the political narrative in the months to come. As the seven-day clock ticks down, the ball is now firmly in the court of General Christopher Musa. Will he produce the evidence to back his explosive claim, or will he offer a retraction that could be seen as a political capitulation? The answer could have profound implications for both men and the fractured state of Kaduna's politics.
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