…Threatens legal action over alleged unsubstantiated allegation
Daud Olatunji
The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has given the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), seven days to provide evidence backing his allegation that the former governor planned killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly retract the claim and apologise.
The family also threatened legal action against the minister if he fails to meet the demand within the stipulated period.
The ultimatum was contained in a statement issued on Monday by El-Rufai’s son and member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, on behalf of the family.
The family said it was reacting to comments allegedly made by Musa during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, on September 3, 2026.
According to the family, the Defence Minister accused the former governor of actively planning killings in Southern Kaduna while he was in office.
The family described the allegation as grave and demanded that the minister substantiate it with credible evidence.
It said it could not overlook what it regarded as a serious allegation made against the former governor on a live television programme.
“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 said.
The family therefore demanded that Musa either produce evidence to support the allegation or retract it publicly through the same medium where the claim 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.
It warned that failure to comply would leave it with “no option but to pursue all appropriate legal remedies available under the law.”
The family maintained that the allegation, having been made publicly, required equally public clarification, evidence or retraction.
The latest development has brought renewed attention to the politically and security-sensitive history of violence in Southern Kaduna and the roles attributed to political leaders and security agencies during periods of heightened attacks in the region.
However, the statement issued by El-Rufai’s family did not provide further details of the evidence it expected from the Defence Minister beyond demanding that he substantiate his claim.
The controversy is now set to move into a potentially legal phase should Musa fail to respond to the seven-day ultimatum.
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