Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has demanded N10 billion compensation and a public apology from the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), over alleged defamatory statements made against him during a television programme.
El-Rufai’s demand was contained in a letter before action dated Monday, September 7, 2026, issued by his lawyers, Chambers of Ubong Akpan, and addressed to Musa at the Federal Ministry of Defence, Abuja.
The letter followed Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where he discussed insecurity in Kaduna State and made allegations concerning the former governor.
Among the statements attributed to Musa, according to the letter, was: “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people.”
The minister was also quoted as saying of El-Rufai: “He told us he paid bandits,” and, “The next thing he sends a bulldozer to bulldoze your house down. He’s done it.”
El-Rufai’s lawyers described the statements as false and defamatory, arguing that they portrayed their client as someone who deliberately planned killings, sponsored banditry and victimised opponents through demolitions.
According to the lawyers, the statements, taken together, conveyed that El-Rufai was “a criminal, a murderer, a sponsor of banditry, and a person of the most base and depraved character.”
The lawyers demanded N10 billion as compensation for what they described as injury to El-Rufai’s reputation, distress and inconvenience.
They stated: “Our client’s instruction is to demand the sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) as compensation for the injury to his reputation and the distress and inconvenience occasioned.”
The lawyers, however, clarified that the N10 billion was a demand for compensation and settlement and not damages awarded by any court.
They also demanded a “prominent, unconditional and unambiguous retraction, correction and apology” from Musa on Politics Today, with the same or greater prominence as the original statements.
The former governor’s lawyers further demanded publication of the apology in two nationally circulating newspapers, one principally circulating in Northern Nigeria and another in Southern Nigeria.
On the allegation that El-Rufai deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna, the lawyers said their client had “never been involved in any offence relating to the deliberate planning of killings,” insisting that no evidence had been produced to substantiate the claim.
They also rejected the allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, saying the former governor had consistently maintained that he would neither negotiate with nor pay bandits.
On demolitions carried out during El-Rufai’s administration, the lawyers said such actions were undertaken “in accordance with the law and for public purposes.”
They also denied that the former governor’s administration divided Kaduna State along ethnic or religious lines, maintaining that his government pursued policies aimed at promoting unity and development.
The lawyers stressed that “none of the allegations made by you has been tested, proved or determined by any court of competent jurisdiction,” and demanded strict proof of the claims.
They accused Musa of making the allegations from a position of authority as Defence Minister and retired Army general, arguing that his statements therefore carried considerable weight with the public.
The lawyers also demanded the preservation of recordings, transcripts, notes, communications, drafts and source materials relating to Musa’s television appearance, as well as disclosure of the sources and documents relied upon for the allegations.
Musa was given seven calendar days from effective receipt of the letter to comply with the demands.
The lawyers warned that failure to comply could lead to legal action in which El-Rufai would seek declaratory relief, damages, injunctions against further publication, preservation and disclosure orders, interest and legal costs.
Meanwhile, Muslim and Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna, under the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), have called for restraint and dialogue over the controversy.
Speaking at a joint peace meeting in Kafanchan, Chairman of the Council of Imams, Southern Kaduna, Imam Muhammed Kabir Kasim, urged Nigerians to consider the context of Musa’s comments and avoid using the controversy to inflame religious or regional tensions.
Kasim described Musa as “an upright man and a top military brass who should not be mistaken for being a politician,” while appealing to the public to exercise restraint, particularly on social media.
