ABUJA — The family of former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), demanding concrete evidence or a public retraction of statements accusing the former governor of orchestrating killings in Southern Kaduna.
The brewing political storm follows a high-profile television interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where General Musa delivered a scathing assessment of Kaduna State’s security landscape during El-Rufai’s two-term administration from 2015 to 2023.
During the broadcast, the Defence Minister characterized the state’s political climate under El-Rufai as “toxic,” alleging that the former governor deliberately polarized the populace and instituted policies that restricted freedom of movement along ethno-religious lines.
When pressed on whether residents of Southern Kaduna harbored lingering grievances against the former administration, General Musa asserted that the term “unhappy” fell short of capturing local sentiment.
“We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” Musa stated during the live interview.
The retired general further accused El-Rufai of weaponizing state apparatuses, alleging that the former governor frequently deployed bulldozers to demolish properties belonging to individuals following personal disagreements. He also pointed to past public acknowledgments regarding state-managed financial engagements with criminal elements as evidence of questionable security handling.
In a swift and sharp rebuttal, the El-Rufai family denounced the remarks as grave, defamatory, and entirely devoid of factual substantiation.
In an official statement signed by his eldest son, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the family acknowledged the Defence Minister’s right to personal opinion but maintained that weighty accusations of mass murder leveled by a serving cabinet member demand rigorous proof.
“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 formally demanded that the Defence Minister issue a full public retraction and apology utilizing the exact television platform where the remarks were originally broadcast.
“General Musa (Rtd.) is hereby given seven 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 family declared.
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Warning that failure to comply within the stipulated window will exhaust their patience, the El-Rufai family stated they will pursue all available legal avenues under Nigerian law to vindicate the former governor’s reputation.
As of press time, the Ministry of Defence has yet to issue a formal counter-response to the ultimatum.
