ABUJA, Nigeria – The family of former Kaduna State Governor and Opposition Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), demanding that he substantiate with credible evidence or publicly retract allegations that the former governor orchestrated killings in Southern Kaduna, his family announced in Abuja on Monday, September 7, 2026.
The ultimatum follows a televised appearance by the defence minister on Channels Television’s current affairs programme, Politics Today, on Thursday, September 3, 2026, where he accused El-Rufai of executing divisive administrative policies and deliberately planning violence that claimed lives in the southern flank of Kaduna State during his tenure between 2015 and 2023.
Okay News reports that the family’s formal response was contained in a press statement signed and released on behalf of the family by El-Rufai’s eldest son, Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, who currently represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
The statement expressed grave concern over what it described as reckless, unsubstantiated, and defamatory assertions made from the elevated pedestal of a federal cabinet minister without the presentation of any corroborative factual evidence.
“The family of Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), former Governor of Kaduna State and Opposition Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has noted with serious concern the allegations made by General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), Minister of Defence, on 3 September 2026 during a live television broadcast of Politics Today on Channels Television,” the statement read.
The family emphasized that during the broadcast, the defence minister made direct claims that El-Rufai actively planned violent attacks in Southern Kaduna while governing the state, an allegation the family firmly rejected as baseless slander designed to inflict reputational damage.
“This grave allegation was made without the presentation of any evidence in support of the claim,” Hon. Bello El-Rufai noted. “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.”
Setting a definitive deadline for administrative and public accountability, the family called on the minister to withdraw the accusation through the same national television platform where it was originally aired.
“In the absence of such evidence, we call on him to publicly retract the allegation through the same medium on which it was made,” the lawmaker stated. “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 warned that should the retired general fail to meet the conditions upon the expiration of the seven-day notice, legal practitioners would be instructed to initiate civil and criminal defamation proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Failure to do so will leave the family with no option but to pursue all appropriate legal remedies available under the law in response to these unsubstantiated allegations,” the statement concluded.
The escalating dispute has heightened political tension between loyalists of the former governor and officials of the incumbent federal administration, coming amid realignments within northern political circles as political parties solidify grassroots formations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
