The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has given Defence Minister, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), seven days to prove his explosive allegation that El-Rufai deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna or retract the claim and apologise.
The ultimatum was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the former governor’s family.
The family said it was reacting to comments made by Musa during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where the minister accused El-Rufai of actions that allegedly fuelled violence and deepened divisions in Kaduna State.
Musa had gone further when asked about the feelings of Southern Kaduna residents towards the former governor, alleging that El-Rufai had deliberately planned the killing of people in the region.
The minister also accused the former governor of dividing Kaduna along northern and southern lines, claiming that residents from Southern Kaduna had found it difficult to live in northern parts of the state, while some northerners moved south.
Musa contrasted the situation with the administration of incumbent Governor Uba Sani, whom he credited with efforts to rebuild trust and reunite communities in the state.
But the El-Rufai family has now fired back, describing Musa’s allegation as a grave claim made without evidence.
According to the family, while the Defence Minister has the right to express his opinion, he must be prepared to substantiate such a serious accusation with credible evidence.
The family therefore demanded that Musa either produce evidence backing his claim within seven days or return to the same television platform to withdraw the allegation and apologise.
It warned that failure to do so would leave the family with no option but to seek legal remedies over what it described as an unsubstantiated allegation.
The latest development has added a fresh political dimension to the long-running controversy over the violence that rocked Southern Kaduna during El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor.
Musa’s comments had already generated controversy because, although he referred to videos and public statements by El-Rufai concerning his administration’s handling of the security crisis, he did not present specific evidence during the interview to establish that the former governor deliberately planned killings.
The dispute also comes amid heightened political tensions involving El-Rufai, who is now associated with the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), after leaving the All Progressives Congress.
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