By Aza Msue, Nonye Ekwenugo, Tarkaa David
The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has asked the minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, to ignore the demand of the family of former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to retract the allegation that he (El-Rufai) was behind the killings in Southern Kaduna during his tenure in office within seven days.
The forum told the minister that it has enough evidence to prove the claims.
The family of El-Rufai has given Gen. Musa seven days to provide evidence supporting his allegation that El-Rufai planned the killings in Southern Kaduna or retract the claim.
The family also threatened to pursue legal action against the minister if he fails to substantiate the allegation or issue a public retraction and apology within the stipulated period.
In a statement issued yesterday by El-Rufai’s son and member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the family said it could not overlook what it described as a grave allegation made against their father during a live television programme.
Musa had on 3rd September, 2026, during an appearance on “Politics Today” on Channels Television, accused El-Rufai of actively planning killings in Southern Kaduna while he was governor of the state.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s family demand, MBF spokesman, Luka Binniyat, told the defence minister to stand by his words, describing Musa’s claims as true and honest.
He said, “The Middle Belt Forum is solidly behind the minister of defence over his recent allegations against Rufai. What the minister said is true, and we have enough evidence to support and back him. Therefore, the minister should stand by his words. He should not retract or apologise to anyone.”
In fact, El-Rufai is supposed to be facing charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over crimes against humanity. El-Rufai’s words, actions, or inaction have facilitated the mass killings in Southern Kaduna during his administration,” the forum stated.
Meanwhile, former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has threatened N10billion legal action against the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), over alleged defamatory remarks made during an appearance on Channels Television.
El-Rufai, in a formal letter of demand issued through his legal team, called for an immediate retraction, an unreserved apology, and the preservation of relevant evidence.
The letter, dated 7 September 2026, was issued by the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, acting on behalf of El-Rufai in Abuja. The legal action followed Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on 3 September 2026, where he spoke about insecurity in Kaduna State and made several allegations concerning the former governor.
The Minister, Musa, kept silent as of press time.
His special assistant on media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, did not respond to messages or calls at the time of this report for comment on the development.
Musa was quoted in the letter as saying, “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people.” He also allegedly said of El-Rufai, “He told us he paid bandits,” and claimed, “The next thing he sends is a bulldozer to bulldoze your house down. He’s done it.”
The lawyers complained about several statements allegedly made during the programme broadcast on 3 September 2026, including remarks concerning bandits, killings, demolitions, ransom payments and El-Rufai’s alleged conduct while serving as Governor of Kaduna State.
The solicitors described the statements as defamatory and said the broadcast remains accessible through terrestrial television, satellite television and online streaming platforms.
The lawyers gave the defence minister and his representatives 24 hours to acknowledge receipt and seven days to provide a substantive written response to the demands.
They stressed that El-Rufai reserves the right to pursue any legal remedies available to him if the matter is not resolved.
El-Rufai’s lawyers described the statements as false and defamatory, arguing that their natural and ordinary meaning portrayed their client as someone who deliberately planned killings, paid bandits, victimised opponents through demolitions and divided Kaduna State along ethnic and religious lines.
The lawyers said the statements, taken together, conveyed that El-Rufai was “a criminal, a murderer, a sponsor of banditry, and a person of the most base and depraved character.”
They demanded that Musa retract the statements and apologise publicly, while also seeking N10bn compensation for what they described as the injury to El-Rufai’s reputation.
According to the lawyers, their client had “never been involved in any offence relating to the deliberate planning of killings in Southern Kaduna,” adding that “no evidence has ever been produced to establish that our Client ‘deliberately planned’ the killing of any person.” On the allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, the lawyers said he had consistently maintained that he would neither negotiate with nor pay bandits.
They also rejected Musa’s allegation concerning demolitions, stating that any demolitions carried out during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor were conducted “in accordance with the law and for public purposes.”
The lawyers further denied that El-Rufai’s administration divided Kaduna State along ethnic or religious lines, saying his government implemented policies aimed at “promoting unity and development across all parts of the State.”
They stressed that “none of the allegations made by you has been tested, proved or determined by any court of competent jurisdiction,” and demanded strict proof of each allegation.
The letter accused Musa of publishing the allegations from a position of authority as the Defence Minister and a retired Nigerian Army general.
It stated, “Your statements carry particular weight and credibility in the eyes of the public. By making these allegations from such a position of authority, you have caused substantially greater damage to our Client’s reputation than would have been caused by a private individual.”
El-Rufai’s lawyers also accused Musa of failing to adequately verify the allegations before making them during the televised interview. They demanded a “prominent, unconditional and unambiguous retraction, correction and apology” on Politics Today, with the same or greater prominence as the original statements.
The lawyers further demanded that the apology be published in two nationally circulating newspapers, one principally circulating in Northern Nigeria and another principally circulating in Southern Nigeria.
They also demanded the preservation of all recordings, transcripts, notes, drafts, communications and source materials relating to Musa’s appearance on the programme.
The lawyers requested full disclosure of every source, document and report relied upon by the minister in making the allegations, including communications with Channels Television and data on the programme’s reach, views, shares and engagement.
The letter also demanded a signed undertaking from Musa not to repeat, republish or cause the republication of the allegedly defamatory statements or allegations of substantially similar effect.
On the monetary demand, the lawyers stated, “Our Client’s instruction is to demand the sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) as compensation for the injury to his reputation and the distress and inconvenience occasioned.”
They clarified that the N10bn was being demanded as a settlement and compensation and did not represent damages already awarded or agreed upon.
The lawyers gave Musa seven days from the effective date of receipt of the letter to comply with the demands.
They also required the minister to acknowledge receipt of the letter in writing within 24 hours and to submit a substantive response to each demand by 4 pm on the seventh calendar day after effective receipt.
The letter warned that failure to reach a satisfactory resolution could result in court proceedings.
El-Rufai: Muslim-Christian Group Backs Defence Minister Musa
The Kaduna State Muslim-Christian Network for Good Governance has backed the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, over his recent comments on the administration of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The group, which described itself as a political pressure group comprising Muslims and Christians, said Musa’s comments reflected the experiences of residents during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023.
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Tahir Tanko, and Secretary, Steven Kefas, the group accused the former administration of implementing policies and taking actions that, according to it, deepened divisions in the state.
The group alleged that thousands of workers were sacked, actions were taken against traditional rulers, insecurity was poorly handled, while markets and homes were demolished without adequate compensation.
It further alleged that Christian and Muslim leaders who criticised some government policies were subjected to arrest and detention, while also accusing the administration of overseeing the killing of Shiites.
According to the group, Musa’s comments should not be interpreted as targeting any particular ethnic or religious group or as referring exclusively to residents of Southern Kaduna.
The group argued that the minister’s reference to “our people” in discussing deaths allegedly linked to El-Rufai’s administration should be understood as referring to residents across Kaduna State who, it said, were affected by the former governor’s policies, actions or alleged failure to effectively manage insecurity.
It also challenged those criticising Musa to present contrary facts rather than resort to ethnic or religious sentiments in defending the former governor.
The group said it was pleased that Musa had brought renewed attention to what it described as longstanding concerns over the former administration’s record, adding that his comments had generated wider discussion about governance and division in Kaduna State.
It expressed support for the minister’s work in the security sector and wished him success in his efforts to improve the country’s security situation.
The group also called on citizens of Kaduna State to support the present administration’s efforts to promote unity, inclusiveness and fairness in governance.
Other signatories to the statement are Adamu Abdullahi, Publicity Secretary; Yakubu Adamu, Joyce Michael and Kevin Bahago, members.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Muslim-Christian Network for Good Governance has said the recent comments by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd.), on former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, were not directed at Southern Kaduna alone.
The group said Musa’s reference to “our people” while discussing deaths allegedly linked to El-Rufai’s administration should be understood as referring to residents across Kaduna State.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Tahir Tanko, and Secretary, Steven Kefas, the group said it was reacting to what it described as attempts to interpret the minister’s comments as targeting a particular ethnic or religious group.
According to the group, Musa’s comments reflected residents’ experiences during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor from 2015 to 2023.
It accused the former administration of implementing policies and taking actions that, according to it, deepened divisions in the state.
The group alleged that thousands of workers were sacked, actions were taken against traditional rulers and insecurity was poorly handled, while markets and homes were demolished without adequate compensation.
It further alleged that Christian and Muslim leaders who criticised some government policies were subjected to arrest and detention, while also accusing the administration of overseeing the killing of Shiites.
The group maintained that residents across the state were affected by what it described as the former governor’s policies, actions and alleged failure to effectively manage insecurity.
It therefore challenged those criticising Musa to present contrary facts rather than resort to ethnic or religious sentiments in defending the former governor.
The group also expressed support for Musa, saying his comments had brought renewed attention to what it described as longstanding concerns over the former administration’s record.
It said the minister’s comments had generated wider discussion about governance and division in Kaduna State, while expressing support for his efforts to improve security in the country.
The group called on citizens of Kaduna State to support the present administration’s efforts to promote unity, inclusiveness and fairness in governance.
Other signatories to the statement are Adamu Abdullahi, Publicity Secretary; Yakubu Adamu, Joyce Michael and Kevin Bahago, members.
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