The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has given Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), seven days to provide evidence backing his allegation that the former governor deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly retract the claim and apologise.
The demand was contained in a statement issued on Monday, September 7, 2026, and signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family.
The family said its decision followed comments allegedly made by Musa during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where the minister accused El-Rufai of actively planning killings in Southern Kaduna during his tenure as governor.
According to reports of the interview, Musa said people in Southern Kaduna could not be happy with someone who, in his words, “deliberately planned for the killing of our people.” He also criticised the former governor’s handling of security and accused his administration of deepening divisions within Kaduna State.
Reacting to the allegation, the El-Rufai family described it as a serious claim that was made without evidence.
The family acknowledged Musa’s right to express his opinion but insisted that allegations of deliberate involvement in killings must be supported by credible evidence.
It therefore called on the Defence Minister to either substantiate the allegation or publicly withdraw it through the same medium where it was made.
“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 family said.
The family further warned that failure to comply with the demand within the seven-day period would leave it with no option but to pursue appropriate legal remedies.
The development comes amid renewed political controversy over the security situation in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.
Separately, El-Rufai’s lawyers have demanded ₦10 billion in damages from Musa over what they described as defamatory allegations made during the same television appearance. The lawyers also demanded a public retraction and apology, arguing that the allegations had not been proven or determined by any court.
