El-Rufai Demands N10bn Compensation, Apology From Defence Minister Over Defamatory Statements

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has demanded N10 billion in compensation and a public apology from Defence Minister Christopher Musa over alleged defamatory statements made against him.

El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, made the demands in a letter dated September 7, following comments made by Musa during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3.

According to the letter, Musa allegedly accused the former governor of deliberately planning killings in Southern Kaduna, dividing the state along ethnic and religious lines, paying ransom to bandits and ordering the demolition of properties belonging to his critics.

Akpan described the allegations as false and said they portrayed his client as “a criminal, a murderer, a sponsor of banditry, and a person of the most base and depraved character.”

The lawyer maintained that no evidence had been produced to establish that El-Rufai deliberately planned the killing of anyone in Southern Kaduna.

“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,” Akpan said.

El-Rufai is also demanding a prominent and unconditional retraction, correction and apology on Politics Today, with equal or greater prominence than the original statements. His lawyers further requested that the apology be published in two nationally circulating newspapers, including one with significant circulation in Northern Nigeria and another in Southern Nigeria.

The former governor’s legal team gave Musa seven days to comply with the demands, warning that failure to do so would result in legal action.