By David Lawani, Abuja
The family of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has given the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), seven days to produce evidence supporting his allegation that the former governor planned killings in Southern Kaduna.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the family said Musa must either substantiate the allegation with credible evidence or issue a public retraction and apology, failing which it would explore legal options.
The demand followed comments reportedly made by the Defence Minister during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, 2026.
Musa was said to have alleged that El-Rufai actively planned killings in Southern Kaduna while serving as governor of Kaduna State.
In a statement issued on Monday, the family described the allegation as grave and expressed concern that such a serious claim was made without supporting evidence.
The statement was signed by Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family.
The family said the Defence Minister was entitled to his opinions but could not make allegations of such magnitude without being prepared to substantiate them.
“While General Musa (retd) 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,” the statement said.
The family consequently challenged the minister to publicly establish the basis of his allegation.
It said a failure to provide evidence should be followed by a full retraction and apology through the same platform on which the allegation was made.
“Accordingly, General Musa (Rtd.) is hereby given seven 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 said.
It warned that the expiration of the deadline without either evidence or a retraction would leave it with no option but to seek legal redress.
“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,” it added.
The demand sets the stage for a potential legal confrontation between the family of the former Kaduna governor and the serving Defence Minister over allegations touching on one of the state’s most sensitive security crises.
