Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has demanded ₦10 billion in compensation from the Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, over alleged defamatory statements made during a Channels Television programme.
The demand 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 letter was made public on Facebook by Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives and one of the former governor’s sons.
The legal action followed Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, during which he discussed insecurity in Kaduna State and made several allegations concerning the former governor.
According to the letter, Musa was quoted as saying, “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people.”
He was also quoted as saying of El-Rufai: “He told us he paid bandits,” and, “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 their natural and ordinary meaning portrayed their client as someone who deliberately planned killings, paid bandits, victimised opponents through demolitions and promoted ethnic and religious division in Kaduna State.
The lawyers argued that 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 a public retraction and apology from Musa, alongside ₦10 billion in compensation for the alleged damage 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 any offence relating to the deliberate planning of killings,” adding that “no evidence has ever been produced to establish that our Client ‘deliberately planned’ the killing of any person.”
They also rejected the allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, saying he had consistently maintained that he would neither negotiate with nor pay bandits.
On Musa’s allegation concerning demolitions, the lawyers said demolitions carried out during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor were conducted “in accordance with the law and for public purposes.”
They further denied that El-Rufai’s administration divided Kaduna State along ethnic or religious lines, arguing that his government implemented policies aimed at “promoting unity and development across all parts of the State.”
The lawyers stressed that “none of the allegations made by you has been tested, proved or determined by any court of competent jurisdiction” and demanded strict proof of each allegation.
They also argued that Musa’s position as Defence Minister and retired Nigerian Army general gave his statements greater weight 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 stated.
El-Rufai’s lawyers 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 equal or greater prominence than the original statements.
They also requested that the apology be published in two national newspapers, including one with significant circulation in Northern Nigeria and another with significant circulation in Southern Nigeria.
In addition, the lawyers demanded the preservation of all recordings, transcripts, notes, drafts, communications and source materials relating to Musa’s appearance on the programme.
They 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 concerning the programme’s reach and audience engagement.
The letter further 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 compensation claim, the lawyers stated: “Our Client’s instruction is to demand the sum of ₦10,000,000,000.00 (Ten Billion Naira) as compensation for the injury to his reputation and the distress and inconvenience occasioned.”
They clarified that the ₦10 billion represented a demand for settlement and compensation and was not an amount 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. They also requested written acknowledgement of receipt within 24 hours and a substantive response to each demand by 4pm on the seventh calendar day.
The letter warned that silence or failure to respond substantively within the stipulated period could be relied upon by El-Rufai, “so far as the law permits,” in relation to mitigation, aggravated damages and whether Musa genuinely believed the statements to be true.
The lawyers further warned that failure to reach a satisfactory resolution could lead to court proceedings seeking declaratory relief, damages, injunctions restraining further publication, preservation and disclosure orders, interest and legal costs.
