Defamation: JNI, CAN seek restraint as El-Rufai sues Musa for N10bn

Muslim and Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna have called for peace, restraint and mutual understanding following reactions to recent remarks by the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd.), against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

The religious leaders, under the platforms of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam and the Christian Association of Nigeria, appealed during a joint peace meeting in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.

The development comes as El-Rufai demanded N10bn in compensation and a public apology from 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, the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, and addressed to Musa at the Federal Ministry of Defence in Abuja.

The letter was posted by Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives and one of the sons of the former Kaduna State governor.

The legal action followed Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, 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 also allegedly said of El-Rufai, “He told us he paid bandits,” while further claiming, “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, conveyed that El-Rufai was “a criminal, a murderer, a sponsor of banditry, and a person of the most base and depraved character.”

They demanded that Musa issue a “prominent, unconditional and unambiguous retraction, correction and apology” on Politics Today, with the same or greater prominence as the original statements.

The lawyers also demanded that the apology be published in two nationally circulating newspapers, one principally circulating in Northern Nigeria and another principally circulating in Southern Nigeria.

On the N10bn 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 stressed that the amount was being demanded as compensation and settlement and was not damages already awarded by a court.

Responding to the allegations, El-Rufai’s lawyers said their client had “never been involved in any offence relating to the deliberate planning of killings in Southern Kaduna,” adding that “no evidence has ever been produced to establish that our client ‘deliberately planned’ the killing of any person.”

On the allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, the lawyers said the former governor had consistently maintained that he would neither negotiate with nor pay bandits.

They also rejected the allegation concerning demolitions, stating that any demolitions carried out during El-Rufai’s tenure were done “in accordance with the law and for public purposes.”

The lawyers further 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.”

They 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 the claims.

The lawyers accused Musa of making the allegations from a position of authority as Defence Minister and a retired Nigerian Army general.

They stated, “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 also accused Musa of failing to adequately verify the allegations before making them during the televised interview.

In addition to the retraction and apology, they demanded the preservation of recordings, transcripts, notes, drafts, communications and source materials relating to Musa’s appearance on the programme.

They requested disclosure of every source, document and report relied upon by the minister in making the allegations, as well as data on the programme’s reach, views, shares and engagement.

The letter further demanded a signed undertaking from Musa not to repeat or republish the allegedly defamatory statements or allegations of substantially similar effect.

The minister was given seven calendar days from the effective date of receipt of the letter to comply with the demands.

The lawyers also required Musa to acknowledge receipt of the letter in writing within 24 hours and submit a substantive response by 4 pm on the seventh calendar day after effective receipt.

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 Musa genuinely believed the allegations to be true.

The lawyers further threatened court action if their demands were not met, saying El-Rufai could seek declaratory relief, damages, injunctions restraining further publication, preservation and disclosure orders, interest and legal costs.

The dispute comes amid continuing controversy over El-Rufai’s record as Kaduna governor, particularly his administration’s handling of insecurity and other contentious policies.

Musa’s September 3 television appearance brought some of those issues back into public debate, with the defence minister making allegations concerning killings, banditry, ransom payments and demolitions during the former governor’s tenure.

El-Rufai’s legal response has now placed the allegations at the centre of a potential defamation case, with the former governor demanding N10bn, a public apology and retraction from the Defence Minister.

Speaking on the development, the religious leaders of the CAN and JNI in Southern Kaduna stressed that disagreements over the comments should be handled through dialogue rather than religious or regional mobilisation.

Chairman of the Council of Imams, Southern Kaduna, Imam Muhammed Kabir Kasim, described Musa as an experienced military officer and public servant, urging Nigerians to consider the context of his comments before concluding.

Kasim said, “General Christopher Gwabin Musa is an upright man and a top military brass who should not be mistaken for being a politician.”

He appealed to the public to exercise restraint, particularly in the use of social media, where statements could easily be taken out of context.

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“Whatever anybody says, we should always look at the intention and the context. We should not allow social media interpretations to determine our relationship with one another,” he said.

The imam said Southern Kaduna had experienced enough challenges and should not allow disagreements over statements by public figures to reopen old wounds.

“We have lived together as Christians and Muslims for many years. We should not allow one statement to destroy the bonds that exist between our communities,” he added.

Similarly, the Chairman of JNI, Southern Kaduna/Jema’a, Mallam Garba Alhassan Adamu, said his interactions with Musa had shown him to be concerned about peace and stability in the region.

According to Adamu, the minister’s background and familiarity with the challenges confronting Southern Kaduna should encourage stakeholders to engage him constructively rather than through confrontation.

“He desires to see peace restored in Southern Kaduna, a region he is coming from,” Adamu said.

He urged religious leaders to be careful about the language they used when discussing sensitive national issues, noting that careless statements could deepen suspicion between communities.

“We must learn to disagree without becoming enemies. Our responsibility as religious leaders is to preach peace and guide our people away from anything that can cause crisis,” Adamu said.

The Chairman of CAN, Kachia Local Government Area, Rev Ezekiel Jock, said public officials, like other individuals, could make statements that might be interpreted differently by different audiences.

Jock urged Christians and Muslims to avoid turning disagreements over public comments into religious or regional conflicts.

“No individual can make a statement that will resonate positively with everyone,” he said.

He stressed that disagreement with a public official should not automatically be interpreted as an attack on a particular religion or community.

“We must separate the person from the statement and address issues based on facts. We should not allow emotions to take over because once emotions take over, peaceful dialogue becomes difficult,” Jock said.

The CAN leader noted that Southern Kaduna’s diversity required greater responsibility from religious and community leaders.

“Southern Kaduna has two major faiths, and we must continue to promote understanding, respect and peaceful coexistence,” he said.

Jock also cautioned against the spread of provocative or misleading information on social media, saying such content could easily heighten tension and damage relationships between communities.

“Before sharing anything, people should ask whether it will promote peace or create another problem. We have a responsibility to protect our communities from unnecessary tension,” he said.

Also, a Kaduna-based interfaith group, the Kaduna State Muslim-Christian Network for Good Governance, has thrown its weight behind Musa over his recent comments on the El-Rufai administration.

The group described the minister’s remarks as “an honest and patriotic assessment” and condemned what it called a “reckless attempt to drag the good name and reputation of the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, through the mud.”

In a press statement on Monday, signed by its chairman, Tahir Tanko, secretary, Steven Kefas, and five other officials, the network said it expressed concern over reactions trailing the minister’s comments.

“We are appalled by the selective amnesia and ethno-religious rhetoric contained in some of the commentaries and rejoinders to the minister’s honest and patriotic assessment of the administration of former Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai in Kaduna State,” the statement read.

The Network said residents were “living witnesses to the divisive and arbitrary rule of Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai between 2015 and 2023” and listed several grievances.

“His many actions against Kaduna State traditional rulers and workers, thousands of whom he sacked without recourse to due process; his supervision of the unjust killings of Shiites; his reckless handling of insecurity in the state; the demolition of markets and homes without either just cause or compensation; and the constant abuse, arrests, and incarceration of both Christian and Muslim leaders who expressed dissent over some of his administration’s inhumane policies, among others, are well documented,” it stated.

The group also referenced a viral video where the former governor spoke about marginalisation.

“In addition, Malam Nasir El-Rufai claimed in a widely circulated video that he had laid the foundation for the marginalisation of a section of the state and called on Islamic and political leaders to sustain that agenda until at least after 20 years when the victims of that agenda must have accepted their fate,” the group said.

It further accused the former governor of weaponising religion.

“He also repeatedly and publicly sought to use religion as a political weapon, particularly during elections, while he held sway as governor of Kaduna State,” it added.

The network said Musa was only speaking the truth about that period.

“General Musa’s remarks on that ugly past are a true reflection of what we experienced in the state during those toxic years.

“We, therefore, challenge anyone who claims ignorance of, or attempts to twist, this narrative to present facts to the contrary rather than hide under an ethnic or religious cover in a bid to defend El-Rufai or attack the honourable minister,” the statement said.

The group cautioned against limiting the minister’s comments to Southern Kaduna alone.

“We advise, in particular, those who seek to explain the minister’s comments out of context by limiting their scope to only the people or areas of Southern Kaduna to make a detour.

“Objectively speaking, when he said, ‘El-Rufai deliberately planned the killing of our people,’ he was referring to the entire Kaduna populace who died, in one way or another, as a result of El-Rufai’s terrible policies, actions, or incompetence in managing and securing a diverse society like Kaduna State,” it explained.

The network also pledged support for the minister’s national assignment and called for unity in Kaduna.

“We support the minister’s patriotic work for our country and wish him success as he collaborates with other patriots in the security sector to deliver a safer country for all,” it said.