Kaduna Was Toxic Under El-Rufai, Says Defence Minister

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

Defence Minister Christopher Musa has criticized former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing his eight-year administration of fueling local divisions and causing widespread public hardship.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday evening monitored by PerSecondNews, the retired army general addressed Kaduna’s ongoing security challenges and the political friction that marked El-Rufai’s tenure.

The Defence Minister described the former governor’s tenure as toxic, particularly over the divisions he accused El-Rufai of creating between northern and southern Kaduna.

“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two. If you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live,” Musa said.

Musa explained that the division affected ordinary residents, forcing some people to relocate within the state rather than freely live and interact across regional lines.

“I mean, you can’t imagine that in the country, the country that is supposed to be one. But Governor Uba Sani, within one year, has been able to dissolve all that,” he stated.

The minister contrasted the situation with Governor Uba Sani’s administration, crediting the incumbent governor with making efforts to restore unity after taking office

“You see now, everybody is free. Everybody has a say. It’s not 100 percent, let me tell you; it’s not 100 percent. But you can see that he’s making deliberate effort in uniting the state,” Musa noted.

Musa also addressed the lingering anger in Southern Kaduna over killings recorded during El-Rufai’s tenure, alleging that the former governor deliberately planned attacks against residents.

“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,” the minister said.

The Defence Minister also referenced El-Rufai’s public statements on insecurity, accusing the former governor of openly discussing payments made to bandits during his administration.

“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,” Musa alleged.

According to him, the effects of the violence remained evident among Southern Kaduna residents, despite the improvement he attributed to the current administration.

“The Southern Kaduna people are still very pained. 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.

The Defence Minister also accused El-Rufai of using his position to demolish houses belonging to people with whom he allegedly had personal disagreements.

“He had just personal issues with friends. The next thing, he sends a bulldozer to bulldoze your house down. He’s done it. It’s there on the TV,” Musa said.

Musa insisted that his assessment was not motivated by his Kaduna origin, arguing that his position reflected his broader concerns about Nigeria and the conduct of political leaders.

“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 somebody we look up to,” he said.