The family of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El Rufai has given Defence Minister Christopher Musa seven days to provide evidence supporting his allegation that the former governor deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna or publicly withdraw the claim and apologise.
The family issued the ultimatum after Musa made the allegation during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, 2026.
El Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Kaduna State governor, has been in detention for more than 200 days. He was arrested over allegations of financial misconduct and is also facing a separate case involving the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The former governor, who is also a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, has remained in detention as the legal cases against him continue.
During his television appearance, Musa criticised El Rufai’s record in Kaduna State, where he served as governor from 2015 to 2023. The minister accused the former governor of taking actions that increased divisions in the state and contributed to insecurity.
Musa described the situation in Kaduna under El Rufai as toxic and said many residents of Southern Kaduna remained unhappy with the former governor because of killings recorded during his administration.
The Defence Minister also claimed that El Rufai had divided Kaduna State to such an extent that people from the southern part of the state could not freely move to the northern part to live.
Asked whether people in Southern Kaduna were still unhappy with the former governor, Musa said they could not be happy with someone he alleged had deliberately planned the killing of their people.
The minister further accused El Rufai of ordering the demolition of houses belonging to individuals with whom he had personal disagreements.
The former governor’s family has strongly rejected the allegations, describing the claim that El Rufai planned killings in Southern Kaduna as a serious accusation that was made without evidence.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Bello El Rufai, the former governor’s eldest son, the family said Musa was free to express his personal views but insisted that allegations involving deliberate killings could not be made without credible proof.
The family demanded that Musa produce evidence to support the allegation and publicly retract it through the same platform where he made the claim.
According to the family, the allegation is particularly serious because it accuses the former governor of deliberately planning the deaths of people in Southern Kaduna.
The family has therefore given Musa seven days from the date of its statement to either provide credible evidence supporting his allegation or issue a full public retraction and apology.
The family warned that if Musa fails to meet the demand within the seven day period, it will consider taking legal action over what it described as unsubstantiated allegations.
The dispute adds another major controversy to the legal and political challenges surrounding El Rufai, who remains a prominent figure in the ADC and continues to face scrutiny over his record in office and the allegations for which he is being detained.
For the El Rufai family, however, the immediate issue is the allegation made by the Defence Minister. It is demanding that Musa either prove the claim that the former governor planned killings in Southern Kaduna or withdraw it publicly.
