Muslim and Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna have called for calm, restraint and dialogue after Defence Minister Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) made critical remarks about former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Speaking at a joint peace meeting in Kafanchan under the platforms of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the leaders urged that disagreements over the comments be handled through constructive engagement rather than religious or regional mobilisation.
The appeal comes as El-Rufai has formally demanded ₦10 billion in compensation and a public apology from Musa. In a letter before action dated 7 September 2026, El-Rufai’s lawyers (Chambers of Ubong Akpan) accused the minister of making false and defamatory statements during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on 3 September.
According to the letter, Musa allegedly said: “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” claimed El-Rufai “told us he paid bandits,” and referred to the use of bulldozers against opponents’ properties. El-Rufai’s lawyers argued that the remarks collectively portrayed their client as a criminal, murderer, sponsor of banditry and a person of base character who divided the state along ethnic and religious lines.
They demanded an unconditional retraction and apology on the same programme (with equal or greater prominence), publication of the apology in two national newspapers (one mainly circulating in the North and one in the South), ₦10 billion as compensation for reputational harm and distress, preservation of related recordings and materials, disclosure of sources, and a written undertaking not to repeat the statements.
Musa was given seven days to comply or face possible court action seeking damages, injunctions and other reliefs.El-Rufai’s legal team firmly denied the allegations, stating that no evidence has ever established that he planned killings, that he has always rejected paying or negotiating with bandits, that any demolitions during his tenure followed the law for public purposes, and that his administration pursued policies of unity and development.
They noted that none of the claims has been tested or proven in court and highlighted the greater weight Musa’s words carry given his position as Defence Minister and retired general.
At the Kafanchan meeting, JNI and CAN leaders stressed the need to protect inter-communal harmony. Imam Muhammed Kabir Kasim, Chairman of the Council of Imams in Southern Kaduna, described Musa as an upright military officer and public servant rather than a politician, and urged people to consider the full context of his remarks instead of social-media interpretations.
Mallam Garba Alhassan Adamu of JNI Southern Kaduna/Jema’a said Musa wants peace restored in the region he comes from and called on religious leaders to disagree without becoming enemies. Rev. Ezekiel Jock of CAN in Kachia LGA emphasised separating individuals from statements, addressing issues on facts rather than emotion, and avoiding the spread of provocative content online.
Separately, the Kaduna State Muslim-Christian Network for Good Governance backed Musa, describing his comments as an “honest and patriotic assessment” of what it called the “divisive and arbitrary” rule of El-Rufai between 2015 and 2023. The group listed various grievances against the former governor’s tenure and challenged critics to present contrary facts rather than resort to ethno-religious rhetoric.
The dispute has revived debate over El-Rufai’s record on insecurity, demolitions and governance in Kaduna State. Religious leaders continue to stress that Southern Kaduna’s long history of Christian-Muslim coexistence should not be endangered by reactions to statements by public figures.
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