El-Rufai’s lawyers demand N10b from Defence Minister over alleged defamation, family demands retraction, apology
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 remarks concerning their client.
The demand was contained in a letter before action dated September 7, 2026, and addressed to the Defence 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, 2026, where he spoke about insecurity in Kaduna State and made allegations concerning the former governor.
According to the letter, the minister allegedly accused El-Rufai of deliberately planning the killing of people in Southern Kaduna and paying bandits.
The lawyers also alleged that Musa claimed El-Rufai ordered the demolition of houses and used such actions against his opponents.
El-Rufai’s legal team, Akpan Ubong Chambers, described the statements as false and defamatory, arguing that they portrayed the former governor as a criminal, murderer and sponsor of banditry.
The lawyers demanded a public retraction and apology from the Defence Minister, alongside N10 billion in compensation for the alleged damage to their client’s reputation.
They also denied the allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, stating that 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 as governor were undertaken in accordance with the law and for public purposes.
They further rejected claims that the former governor’s administration divided Kaduna State along ethnic and religious lines, saying the government implemented policies aimed at promoting unity and development across the state.
The lawyers maintained that none of the allegations had been tested, proved or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction and demanded strict proof of the claims.
Meanwhile, the family of the former governor has separately demanded the immediate retraction of the allegation that El-Rufai actively planned killings in Southern Kaduna.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Honourable Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family, the allegation was described as grave and unsubstantiated.
The family said the claim was made without any evidence being presented to support it.
It said while General Musa was entitled to express his personal opinions, he should also be prepared to substantiate such a serious allegation with credible evidence.
The family gave the minister seven days from the date of the statement to either provide evidence supporting the allegation or issue a full public retraction and apology through the same medium.
It warned that failure to do so would leave it with no option but to pursue all appropriate legal remedies available under the law.
