Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of deliberately planning the killing of people in Southern Kaduna during his administration.
Musa made the allegation on Thursday, September 3, 2026, while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he also accused the former governor of deepening divisions between communities in the northern and southern parts of Kaduna State.
The minister said El-Rufai’s administration created an atmosphere in which residents from Southern Kaduna allegedly found it difficult to live freely in the northern part of the state, while some residents from the north moved south.
“We know how it was when El-Rufai was there; it was toxic,” Musa said.
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the country, the state, into two. In that, if you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live. Those ones from the north were moving to the south.
“Governor Sani within one year has been able to dissolve all that. You see, now everybody is free, everybody has a say. It’s not 100%. Let me tell you, it’s not 100%, but you can see that he’s making deliberate effort in uniting the state.”
Musa said the people of Southern Kaduna remained deeply aggrieved over the killings recorded in the region during El-Rufai’s tenure, alleging that the former governor deliberately planned the attacks.
“Well, I don’t know if unhappy is an issue. I think if there’s anything worse than unhappy, we can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” Musa said.
He further alleged that El-Rufai had openly spoken about his administration’s dealings with bandits.
“I mean, when you look at it, if you look at his videos, you know, his speeches, he was very proud of what he did.
“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this, he did that. He didn’t hide it. He was that arrogant to come out and tell people that this was what he did.”
The Defence Minister said the impact of the violence remained evident among residents of Southern Kaduna, while contrasting the situation with what he described as improved security under the current administration.
“The Southern Kaduna people are still very pained. Of course, definitely. I mean, if you look at the number of killings that was done there and what is going on now, you can’t compare at all,” he said.
Musa also accused the former governor of denying some residents opportunities during his administration, alleging that his policies affected people from his own part of Kaduna State.
“I can tell you what he has done to people living in Kaduna from his own area. He did a lot of things that I’m sure even him is not proud of,” he added.
The minister, however, broadened his criticism to politicians who exploit ethnic or religious differences, urging Nigerians to support leaders committed to national unity.
“We should get politicians that want to unite Nigeria. For me, any individual who is using either religion, tribe, creed, or anything to divide the state can never be a friend; can never be somebody we look up to,” Musa said.
“We shouldn’t have those kind of ones in government. Anybody who is using religion or tribe or whatever to divide Nigeria is an enemy of the state.”
