Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has demanded N10 billion in damages and a public apology from the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), over alleged defamatory statements made during a television interview.
In a letter dated September 7, 2026, and signed by his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, El-Rufai also called for a retraction of the statements and an apology to be published in two national newspapers.
The dispute stems from comments reportedly made by the Defence Minister during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on September 3, 2026.
According to the letter, Musa alleged that El-Rufai “deliberately planned for the killing of our people” and accused him of deepening ethnic and religious divisions in Kaduna State during his tenure as governor.
The minister was also quoted as alleging that El-Rufai paid ransom to bandits and ordered the demolition of properties belonging to political critics.
El-Rufai’s legal team described the allegations as false, malicious and damaging to his reputation, arguing that they portrayed the former governor as “a criminal, a murderer, a sponsor of banditry, and a person of the most base and depraved character.”
The letter maintained that there was no evidence to support the claims made against the former governor.
“Our Client has never been involved in any offence relating to the deliberate planning of killings in Southern Kaduna,” the lawyer stated.
It further noted that no evidence had ever been presented to establish that El-Rufai “deliberately planned the killing of any person.”
Akpan argued that the comments carried significant weight because they were made by a serving Defence Minister, whose position lends credibility and influence in the eyes of the public.
“Your statements carry particular weight and credibility in the eyes of the public. By making these allegations from such a position of authority, you have caused substantially greater damage to our Client’s reputation than would have been caused by a private individual,” the letter said.
As part of the demands, El-Rufai is seeking N10 billion as compensation for what he described as injury to his reputation, as well as the distress and inconvenience arising from the publication.
“Our Client’s instruction is to demand the sum of N10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) as compensation for the injury to his reputation and the distress and inconvenience occasioned,” the letter stated.
The former governor is also demanding a “prominent, unconditional and unambiguous” apology and retraction on Politics Today, with equal or greater prominence than the original statements.
In addition, his lawyers requested that the apology be published in two widely circulated newspapers, one predominantly read in Northern Nigeria and another with major circulation in the South.
The legal team gave the Defence Minister seven days to comply with the demands, warning that failure to do so would result in legal action.
The development adds to the growing public dispute between El-Rufai and senior officials of the Federal Government, with the outcome likely to draw significant political and legal attention in the coming days.
