By Ayomide Otitoju
Lawyers to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai have demanded N10 billion in damages from the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), over alleged defamatory statements concerning their client.
The demand was contained in a letter before action dated September 7, 2026, and addressed to the minister at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja.
The legal action followed Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where he discussed insecurity in Kaduna State and made allegations involving the former governor.
According to El-Rufai’s lawyers, the minister alleged that the former governor deliberately planned the killing of people in Southern Kaduna and paid bandits.
They also alleged that Musa accused El-Rufai of ordering the demolition of houses as a means of victimising his political opponents.
The legal team, Akpan Ubong Chambers, described the allegations as false and defamatory, saying they portrayed El-Rufai as a criminal, murderer and sponsor of banditry.
The lawyers demanded a public retraction and apology from Musa, as well as N10 billion in compensation for the alleged damage to their client’s reputation.
They denied that El-Rufai paid bandits, saying the former governor had consistently maintained that he would neither negotiate with nor pay bandits.
On the issue of demolitions, the lawyers said those carried out during El-Rufai’s tenure were conducted in accordance with the law and for public purposes.
They also rejected claims that the former governor’s administration divided Kaduna State along ethnic and religious lines, arguing that his government implemented policies aimed at promoting unity and development.
The lawyers maintained that the allegations had neither been tested nor established by a court of competent jurisdiction and demanded strict proof from the minister.
Separately, El-Rufai’s family has demanded the immediate retraction of the allegation that the former governor deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family, the allegation was described as grave and unsubstantiated.
The family said no evidence was presented to support the claim and argued that while Musa was entitled to express his opinion, he should be prepared to substantiate such a serious allegation with credible evidence.
It gave the minister seven days from the date of the statement to provide evidence supporting the allegation or issue a full public retraction and apology through the same medium.
The family warned that failure to comply would leave it with no option but to pursue appropriate legal remedies.
