…Former Governor Demands N10bn Compensation Over Alleged Defamatory Remarks
Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has threatened legal action against the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), over alleged defamatory remarks made during a recent television interview .
CDA News Nigeria reports that in a formal letter of claim issued through his legal team, El-Rufai demanded an immediate retraction, an unreserved apology, and the preservation of relevant evidence . The letter, dated September 7, 2026, was issued by the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, acting on behalf of El-Rufai .
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the legal action followed Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, 2026, where the minister allegedly stated: “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people” . Musa 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 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” .
The legal team demanded N10 billion as compensation for the alleged injury to El-Rufai’s reputation, clarifying that the amount represents a proposed settlement and not damages already awarded by a court . They further demanded that any retraction be published prominently on the same programme and in two nationally circulating newspapers .
The lawyers gave the Defence Minister seven days to provide a substantive written response to the demands . They stressed that El-Rufai reserves the right to pursue any legal remedies available if the matter is not resolved .
Source verification: Original reporting based on formal letter of claim issued by the Chambers of Ubong Akpan dated September 7, 2026, and statements from the El-Rufai family .
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