El-Rufai Threatens N10bn Defamation Suit Against Defence Minister

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has threatened a N10 billion defamation action against the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), over comments the minister made about killings in Southern Kaduna during a television interview.

A letter before action dated Monday, September 7, from El-Rufai’s lawyers demanded a public retraction, an apology and N10 billion in compensation. It followed Musa’s September 3 appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he said, among other things, that “we can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people” and alleged that El-Rufai told him he paid bandits. Daily Trust separately reported that El-Rufai’s family gave the minister seven days to retract the comments or provide evidence backing them.

El-Rufai’s lawyers described the statements as false and defamatory, saying they portrayed him as someone who deliberately planned killings, paid bandits and divided Kaduna along ethnic and religious lines. They said he had consistently maintained that he neither negotiated with nor paid bandits, and that demolitions during his tenure were carried out in line with the law for public purposes.

The family’s statement, signed by his eldest son, Bello El-Rufai, said the family was entitled to demand that grave allegations be substantiated with credible evidence, and asked the minister to retract them through the same medium on which they were made.

The Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development, in a statement signed by representatives from the three northern zones, backed the Defence Minister, saying El-Rufai’s record in office should remain open to public scrutiny. The group said those attacking Musa should answer the issues he raised instead, and urged Nigerians to judge the dispute on the basis of evidence rather than political loyalty.

Muslim and Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna have appealed for calm as the dispute escalates. Punch reported that the religious leaders, under the platforms of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam and the Christian Association of Nigeria, made the appeal during a joint peace meeting in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, urging restraint and mutual understanding over the remarks and reactions.

Sources: Punch, Daily Trust, Daily Post