By Ayodele Oni
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has demanded N10bn in compensation from the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), to be paid within seven days, over alleged defamatory statements made during a Channels Television programme.
He threatened legal action if the demands are not met within the stipulated time period.
This was contained in a letter before action dated Monday, September 7, 2026, issued by El-Rufai’s lawyers, Chambers of Ubong Akpan, and addressed to Musa at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja.
The legal action followed Musa’s appearance on Politics Today on September 3, 2026, where he discussed insecurity in Kaduna State and made several allegations concerning the former governor.
Musa was quoted in the letter as saying, “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people.”
He was also alleged to have said of El-Rufai, “He told us he paid bandits,” and, in reference to alleged demolitions, “The next thing he sends a bulldozer to bulldoze your house down. He’s done it.”
El-Rufai’s lawyers described the statements as false and defamatory, arguing that they portrayed their client as someone who deliberately planned killings, paid bandits, victimised opponents through demolitions and divided Kaduna State along ethnic and religious lines.
The lawyers said the statements, taken together, portrayed El-Rufai as “a criminal, a murderer, a sponsor of banditry, and a person of the most base and depraved character.”
They demanded that Musa retract the statements and issue a public apology, in addition to paying N10bn as compensation for the alleged injury to El-Rufai’s reputation.
On the allegation that El-Rufai deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna, the lawyers said their client had never been involved in such conduct.
“No evidence has ever been produced to establish that our Client ‘deliberately planned’ the killing of any person,” they stated.
The lawyers also rejected the allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, saying the former governor had consistently maintained that he would neither negotiate with nor pay bandits.
On the allegation concerning demolitions, they said any demolitions carried out during El-Rufai’s tenure were conducted “in accordance with the law and for public purposes.”
They also denied that El-Rufai’s administration divided Kaduna State along ethnic or religious lines, saying his government implemented policies aimed at “promoting unity and development across all parts of the State.”
The lawyers stressed that none of the allegations had been established by a court.
“None of the allegations made by you has been tested, proved or determined by any court of competent jurisdiction,” they said, demanding strict proof of each allegation.
They argued that Musa’s position as Defence Minister and retired Nigerian Army general gave his statements greater weight and credibility among members 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 lawyers stated.
El-Rufai’s legal team accused Musa of failing to adequately verify the allegations before making them during the televised interview.
They demanded a “prominent, unconditional and unambiguous retraction, correction and apology” on Politics Today, with the same or greater prominence as the original statements.
The lawyers further demanded that the apology be published in two nationally circulating newspapers, including one principally circulating in Northern Nigeria and another principally circulating in Southern Nigeria.
They also demanded the preservation of recordings, transcripts, notes, drafts, communications and source materials relating to Musa’s appearance on the programme.
The lawyers requested full disclosure of the sources, documents and reports relied upon by the minister in making the allegations, including relevant communications with Channels Television and information on the programme’s reach and engagement.
They also demanded a signed undertaking from Musa not to repeat, republish or cause the republication of the allegedly defamatory statements or allegations of substantially similar effect.
On the monetary demand, the lawyers stated, “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.”
They clarified that the N10bn represented a demand for settlement and compensation and was not damages already awarded or agreed upon.
The lawyers gave Musa seven calendar days from the effective date of receipt of the letter to comply with the demands, while requiring him to acknowledge receipt within 24 hours and provide a substantive response by 4pm on the seventh day.
They warned that failure to respond could be relied upon by El-Rufai, “so far as the law permits,” in relation to mitigation, aggravated damages and whether the minister genuinely believed the statements to be true.
The lawyers further warned that failure to reach a satisfactory resolution would result in legal proceedings seeking declaratory relief, damages, injunctions restraining further publication, preservation and disclosure orders, interest and legal costs.
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