Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of deliberately planning the killing of people in Southern Kaduna during his tenure.
Musa made the allegation while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he also criticised what he described as the divisive nature of the former governor’s administration.
According to the Defence Minister, El-Rufai’s administration created deep divisions between northern and southern Kaduna, resulting in a situation where residents allegedly became reluctant or unable to freely live in parts of the state outside their areas.
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two,” Musa said, alleging that people from Southern Kaduna could not freely move to the northern part of the state, while some residents from the north moved south.
Musa said the people of Southern Kaduna remained deeply affected by the killings recorded in the region during El-Rufai’s administration.
Responding to whether residents were still unhappy with the former governor, Musa said their feelings went beyond mere unhappiness.
“We can never be happy with somebody who deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” he alleged.
When asked to clarify the serious allegation, the minister maintained his position, citing what he described as El-Rufai’s past videos and speeches concerning his administration’s handling of insecurity.
Musa also alleged that El-Rufai had publicly acknowledged paying bandits, although reports on the interview noted that the minister did not provide specific evidence during the programme to substantiate his claim that the former governor deliberately planned killings.
Despite his criticism, Musa said he did not consider El-Rufai an enemy, describing him instead as “misguided.”
The minister contrasted El-Rufai’s administration with that of the incumbent Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, whom he credited with making efforts to restore unity and improve relations between communities across the state.
Musa said the security situation in Southern Kaduna had improved, although he acknowledged that the state still faced challenges.
He also accused the former governor of using his office and influence to demolish properties belonging to some residents following personal disagreements.
The allegations are likely to fuel renewed debate over El-Rufai’s record as Kaduna governor, particularly his handling of insecurity, communal violence and relations among the state’s diverse communities. El-Rufai and his media team had not, at the time of the reports, issued a response to Musa’s latest allegations
