El-Rufai demands ₦10bn, apology from defence minister over Southern Kaduna allegation

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has demanded a public apology and ₦10 billion in compensation from the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, over an allegation that he deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna.

Mr El-Rufai’s lawyers made the demands in an eight-page pre-action letter dated Monday, 7 September, giving the minister seven days from the effective receipt of the letter to substantiate his allegations or retract them.

A copy of the letter, posted alongside a statement by the El-Rufai family, bears an acknowledgement stamp from the Ministry of Defence dated 7 September.

The public statement was signed by Mr El-Rufai’s son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, on behalf of the family.

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While the family’s statement focused on the seven-day ultimatum, the accompanying letter from the Chambers of Ubong Akpan contained broader demands.

The lawyers asked Mr Musa to retract and apologise for the remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today, with the same or greater prominence given to the original statements.

They also demanded publication of the retraction in two nationally circulating newspapers, one principally distributed in northern Nigeria and the other in southern Nigeria.

Other demands include the preservation of recordings, transcripts, notes, correspondence and source materials connected with the interview; disclosure of the evidence on which the minister relied; and a written undertaking not to repeat the allegations unless legally justified and supported by evidence.

The letter demanded ₦10 billion as compensation for what the lawyers described as injury to Mr El-Rufai’s reputation and the distress caused by the broadcast.

It, however, expressly stated that the amount was proposed as a settlement and “is not” damages awarded or agreed by a court.

The lawyers threatened to institute defamation proceedings and seek damages and injunctions if the minister failed to provide a satisfactory response within the stipulated period.

Musa’s allegation

Mr Musa made the allegation during his 3 September appearance on Politics Today, while discussing politics and governance in Kaduna State.

When the presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, asked whether people in Southern Kaduna remained unhappy with Mr El-Rufai, the minister replied:

“We can never be happy with somebody who deliberately planned for the killing of our people.”

When the presenter described the claim as a serious allegation, Mr Musa said, “Definitely,” and referred generally to videos and speeches in which he alleged Mr El-Rufai said he had paid bandits.

The minister did not identify a specific report, order or incident during the segment that linked the former governor to the planning of killings.

He also accused Mr El-Rufai of dividing Kaduna State along regional lines and ordering the demolition of people’s houses over personal disagreements.

Mr El-Rufai’s lawyers denied the allegations and said none had been proved by a court.

The family said the allegation about planning killings was made without supporting evidence.

“In the absence of such evidence, we call on him to publicly retract the allegation through the same medium on which it was made,” the statement said.

It warned that the family would pursue “all appropriate legal remedies” if the minister failed to provide evidence or apologise within seven days.

What the public record shows

The lawyers’ letter also denied the minister’s allegation that Mr El-Rufai paid bandits. The historical record requires a distinction.

In 2016, while serving as governor, Mr El-Rufai said his administration contacted leaders of some Fulani groups from neighbouring West African countries following attacks and reprisals linked to the 2011 post-election violence.

He said some of the groups requested monetary compensation for cattle they claimed to have lost, and that some payments were made as part of efforts to stop further attacks.

PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that the former governor later opposed ransom payments and negotiations with bandits.

The 2016 remarks confirm that his government made some compensation payments. They do not, by themselves, establish Mr Musa’s separate allegation that Mr El-Rufai deliberately planned killings.

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