Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and ex-Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), demanding evidence to support allegations that he orchestrated killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly withdraw the claim.
The demand follows comments made by the Defence Minister during a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he accused El-Rufai of policies and actions that allegedly deepened divisions and contributed to insecurity in Kaduna State during his eight-year tenure as governor.
Musa described Kaduna under El-Rufai’s administration as “toxic,” claiming that many residents of Southern Kaduna remained dissatisfied with the former governor over the violence that occurred in the area between 2015 and 2023.
Speaking during the programme, the Defence Minister accused El-Rufai of creating sharp divisions within the state and alleged that his actions worsened relations between communities.
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two. In that, if you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live,” Musa said.
When asked whether residents of Southern Kaduna were still unhappy with the former governor, Musa replied: “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 further accused El-Rufai of ordering the demolition of houses belonging to individuals with whom he allegedly had personal disagreements.
However, the former governor has strongly denied the allegations.
In a statement issued on behalf of the El-Rufai family and signed by his eldest son, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the family described the accusation as serious, damaging and unsupported by any evidence.
The statement expressed concern over the comments made during the live television broadcast and insisted that anyone making such allegations must be prepared to substantiate them.
“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 said.
The family called on the Defence Minister to use the same platform through which the allegation was made to either present evidence supporting his claims or issue a public retraction and apology.
According to the statement, General Musa has seven days from the date of the notice to comply.
“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 read.
It added that failure to do so would compel the family to explore legal options.
“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 stated.
The development marks a fresh escalation in the growing political tensions surrounding El-Rufai, who has emerged as one of the leading opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections following his alignment with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
As of the time of filing this report, the Defence Minister had not publicly responded to the ultimatum issued by the El-Rufai family.
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