The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has challenged Defence Minister Christopher Musa to substantiate his claim that the former governor deliberately planned the killing of people in Southern Kaduna.
The family has issued a seven-day deadline for Musa to present credible evidence supporting the allegation or publicly withdraw the statement and apologise.
The demand followed comments made by the Defence Minister during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, 2026.
During the programme, Musa criticised the administration of El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023. According to the minister, decisions taken during the former governor’s tenure contributed to divisions and insecurity across the state.
Musa described the situation in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s administration as “toxic” and claimed that residents in Southern Kaduna continued to harbour grievances against the former governor because of killings recorded during his time in office.
The minister further alleged that the former governor’s actions created such a deep divide between northern and southern parts of Kaduna that residents from the southern region were unable to relocate freely to communities in the north.
Responding to a question about whether people in Southern Kaduna could still be dissatisfied with El-Rufai, Musa said they could not be pleased with an individual who had allegedly “deliberately planned for the killing of our people.”
Musa also accused the former governor of directing the demolition of properties belonging to individuals with whom he had personal disagreements.
The allegations have, however, been strongly rejected by El-Rufai’s family, which described the claim concerning planned killings as a serious accusation that should not be made without supporting evidence.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the former governor’s eldest son, the family acknowledged Musa’s right to express his views but insisted that allegations of such magnitude must be supported by verifiable facts.
The family consequently called on the Defence Minister to either produce evidence proving that El-Rufai planned killings in Southern Kaduna or withdraw the allegation publicly.
According to the family, Musa should make the retraction through the same platform on which the original accusation was made.
The statement maintained that no evidence had been presented during the television interview to establish the allegation against the former governor.
The El-Rufai family has now given Musa seven days from the date of its statement to comply with its demand.
It said the Defence Minister must either provide convincing evidence backing his allegation or issue a comprehensive public withdrawal accompanied by an apology.
The family further warned that failure to comply within the stipulated period would compel it to consider legal action.
It said it was prepared to pursue all appropriate legal avenues to defend El-Rufai against what it considers serious and unsupported accusations.
The development adds another dimension to the controversy surrounding the former governor, who is currently facing legal proceedings over alleged financial misconduct and an unrelated case concerning the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
