Defence Minister Musa accuses El-Rufai of deliberately planning Southern Kaduna killings

The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of deliberately planning the killing of people in Southern Kaduna, making one of the strongest allegations yet against the former governor over the violence and communal tensions that affected parts of the state during his eight-year administration.

Musa made the allegation on Thursday, September 3, 2026, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised the former governor’s handling of security and governance in Kaduna State.

The Defence Minister described the situation in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s tenure as “toxic”, alleging that the former administration deepened divisions between communities in the northern and southern parts of the state.

Musa claimed the divisions became so severe that residents from Southern Kaduna could not freely live in northern parts of the state, while some residents from northern Kaduna moved towards the southern part of the state.

“We know how it was when El-Rufai was there; it was toxic,” Musa said.

“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. Those ones from the north were moving to the south.”

The minister’s comments come against the background of years of deadly violence in Southern Kaduna, where communities have experienced killings, kidnappings, displacement and destruction of property.

Musa said the impact of the violence remains deeply felt among residents of the region, particularly families who lost loved ones during the period.

Responding to questions about whether people in Southern Kaduna remained unhappy with El-Rufai, Musa said the anger went beyond ordinary political disagreement.

“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,” he said.

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The Defence Minister did not, during the interview as reported, provide specific evidence to substantiate his allegation that El-Rufai deliberately planned the killings. The claim therefore remains an allegation made by Musa and has not been established as a fact by a court or independent investigation cited in the reports reviewed. (Nigeria Info, Let’s Talk!)

Musa also alleged that El-Rufai had previously spoken publicly about payments allegedly made to bandits and other measures adopted by his administration to address insecurity.

“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this, he did that. He didn’t hide it,” Musa alleged.

The minister said the former governor had discussed such actions in public speeches and videos and suggested that affected communities remained angry over the approach taken by the administration.

Musa further argued that the scale of killings recorded in Southern Kaduna during the previous administration was significantly higher than what is being witnessed in the area under the current government.

“The Southern Kaduna people are still very pained. Of course, definitely. I mean, 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 minister also credited incumbent Governor Uba Sani with making efforts to rebuild relationships between communities and reduce the divisions he said existed during El-Rufai’s tenure.

According to Musa, the situation has not been completely resolved, but residents now have greater freedom to move and participate in the affairs of the state.

“Governor Sani within one year has been able to dissolve all that. You see now, everybody is free, everybody has a say. It’s not 100 per cent, let me tell you, it’s not 100 per cent, but you can see that he’s making deliberate effort in uniting the state,” Musa said. (Vanguard News)

Musa also extended his criticism beyond the Southern Kaduna crisis, accusing El-Rufai of policies and actions that he said affected people across different parts of the state.

He alleged that some residents, including people from El-Rufai’s own area, were denied opportunities during the former governor’s administration.

The minister also referred to demolitions carried out during the former governor’s tenure, alleging that some residents lost properties following disagreements with El-Rufai.

“I can tell you people what he has done to people living in Kaduna State from his own area. He had just personal [issues] with friends. The next thing, he sends a bulldozer to bulldoze your house down. He’s done it,” Musa alleged.

He maintained that his criticism was not driven by ethnic considerations, despite his own Kaduna background, but by what he described as a concern for the country and the consequences of divisive politics.

Musa urged Nigerians to reject politicians who exploit religion, ethnicity or regional differences to gain political advantage.

“We should get politicians that want to unite Nigeria,” he said.

“Anybody who is using religion or tribe or whatever to divide Nigeria is an enemy of the state.”

The minister’s comments have revived broader questions about the security crisis in Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s tenure, which lasted from 2015 to 2023.

During those years, Southern Kaduna witnessed repeated attacks involving armed groups and communal violence. Human rights organisations have documented significant loss of life and displacement in the region, while successive governments have faced criticism over their handling of insecurity.

The controversy surrounding El-Rufai’s security policies has also included his administration’s controversial approach to negotiations with bandits and other armed groups.

El-Rufai has previously defended his administration’s handling of insecurity and has frequently argued that his government took steps to protect residents while calling for stronger federal security intervention.

The former governor has also remained politically active after leaving office, while his relationship with his successor, Governor Uba Sani, has deteriorated considerably.

Sani was previously regarded as a political ally of El-Rufai and succeeded him as governor in 2023. Their relationship has since become strained, with both camps engaging in disagreements over governance, the finances of Kaduna State and the legacy of the former administration.

Musa’s latest comments add another dimension to the political dispute because they come from a serving federal minister responsible for Nigeria’s defence apparatus and a former senior military officer.

The allegations are also likely to attract further political reactions, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections intensify.

For now, however, Musa’s claim that El-Rufai deliberately planned killings in Southern Kaduna remains an allegation. While the violence and deaths suffered by communities in the region are extensively documented, the specific accusation of deliberate planning by the former governor would require further evidence or an authoritative investigation to establish it as fact.

El-Rufai and his media team had not publicly responded to Musa’s latest allegations in the reports reviewed as of Friday morning.

Defence Minister Musa accuses El-Rufai of deliberately planning Southern Kaduna killings

Kano Rainstorms: Nine Lives Lost, Over 4,500 Displaced 

Kano, Nigeria – Between January and August 2026, severe rainstorms and windstorms ravaged eight local government areas in Kano State, claiming nine lives and displacing 4,524 residents, the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has confirmed.

The agency’s Executive Secretary, Isyaku Kubarachi, disclosed the figures in an interview, noting that 49 other individuals sustained injuries of varying degrees during the eight-month period. The storms represent the most destructive among the six major disasters recorded across the state within this timeframe, according to Kubarachi, who emphasized the severity of this year’s rainy season compared to previous years.

The affected local government areas are Gaya, Ajingi, Rimin Gado, Minjibir, Kabo, Bichi, Shanono, and Kibiya. Bichi recorded the highest number of victims with 775 affected persons, followed closely by Minjibir with 712 and Kibiya with 630. Shanono recorded 530 victims, while Ajingi had 415. Gaya recorded 342 affected persons, Rimin Gado had 233, and Kabo recorded 102 victims, making it the least affected among the eight LGAs.

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The latest figures follow a particularly devastating rainstorm in Bichi on July 22, 2026, which initially generated conflicting reports about the death toll. SEMA later clarified that five people died in that specific incident, correcting earlier media reports that had placed the number at eight. The storm destroyed numerous houses and property valued at millions of naira, leaving many families without shelter and basic necessities in the Bichi area.

In the wake of the Bichi disaster, the Kano State House of Assembly adopted a motion of urgent public importance. Sponsored by Lawan Shehu, the member representing Bichi Constituency, the motion called on the state government to provide immediate relief materials and humanitarian assistance to the victims. The motion was passed during a plenary session presided over by Speaker Jibril Falgore, with lawmakers expressing concern over the recurring nature of such disasters and the need for proactive measures.

SEMA has completed comprehensive on-the-ground assessments of all affected communities and submitted detailed reports to the Kano State Government to facilitate intervention. Kubarachi assured that the agency is ready to begin distribution as soon as relief materials are received, stating, “The agency had compiled comprehensive reports and submitted them to the state government for assistance to victims. As soon as we receive relief materials, they will be distributed to them.” He also urged residents in flood-prone areas to heed weather warnings and take necessary precautions as the rainy season continues.

Kano Rainstorms: Nine Lives Lost, Over 4,500 Displaced

NBA controversy: VDM apologises to security agencies over ‘unknown gunmen’ remarks

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has apologised to Nigerian soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel over controversial remarks he made at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

VDM issued the apology in a video released on Friday, admitting that his description of the military, police, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” was unfair to security personnel who are risking their lives to protect Nigerians.

The activist made the controversial remarks during a panel session at the NBA conference, where he was invited to speak on Nigeria’s insecurity and related issues.

During the discussion, VDM criticised the country’s security architecture and questioned why perpetrators of kidnappings, killings and other violent crimes were frequently described as “unknown gunmen”.

He also alleged that some security personnel manning checkpoints could identify wealthy travellers and allegedly pass information about them to kidnappers. The claim attracted considerable attention and further intensified debate over the role of security agencies in tackling Nigeria’s insecurity.

However, in his latest video, VDM said he had reflected on his remarks and realised that the manner in which he delivered his criticism could be interpreted as a blanket accusation against the entire security establishment.

“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs,” he said.

VDM maintained that he had intended to draw attention to individuals he described as “bad eggs” within the security agencies rather than accuse every soldier, police officer or other security operative of wrongdoing.

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“I know exactly what I was trying to say because, I mean, I have evidence to back up my claim, but I wasn’t fair to a lot of people in that speech,” he said.

The activist said he was particularly concerned about the effect his comments could have on soldiers serving in conflict zones and fighting Boko Haram and other insurgent groups.

“That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our lives, and to protect our families,” he said.

He added that it would be unfair to describe such soldiers as “unknown gunmen”, noting that many had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say they are also the unknown gunmen, to be very honest, because these people have laid down their lives,” he said.

VDM consequently apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff, asking that his apology be extended to soldiers deployed to conflict areas.

“So I will go further to say to the Chief of Defence Staff, Sir, I really want to apologise for that speech, and I don’t want to discourage your boys,” he said.

“Please extend my apologies to your boys, to the ones that are in the bush protecting our lands,” he added.

He also apologised to personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Immigration Service, as well as families of security personnel who have died while serving the country.

VDM said he understood that relatives of fallen security personnel could feel offended by his comments because their loved ones had made significant sacrifices in the service of Nigeria.

“To the families of these heroes that might have also felt offended by this speech, knowing fully well that their brother, their sister, their son, their husband fought and died for this country, I am really, really sorry,” he said.

Despite the apology, VDM maintained his criticism of alleged corruption and misconduct within the country’s security architecture.

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He said his original argument was aimed at what he described as individuals within the security agencies who allegedly leak sensitive information or sabotage the operations of their colleagues.

“My speech was not to discourage you. My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces, is to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward and to see that sometimes information are being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them,” he said.

VDM acknowledged that his choice of words made it appear as though he was generalising his allegations across the security agencies.

“But by passing that speech, like I said, it seems like I was generalising and it’s not fair to the fallen soldiers,” he said.

He also said he had maintained interactions with some police officers and had occasionally shared security-related information with them.

“Me and police, we work steady. I give, sometimes I share police information, tell them, ‘Oh, this is what is happening here, please, can you intercept,’” he said.

The activist urged security personnel who are carrying out their duties honestly not to be discouraged by his earlier remarks.

He said he was concerned that a soldier deployed in a remote location could watch the video of his NBA speech and feel that Nigerians did not appreciate the sacrifices being made by troops.

“Imagine a soldier fighting in the bush and he watches VDM’s video, and he’s like, ‘Ah, VDM is one of us now, unknown gunman.’ That would discourage him, to be honest,” he said.

At the same time, VDM maintained his allegations against individuals he believes are involved in corruption, sabotage or the leaking of sensitive information.

“But then again, to the bad eggs, your days are numbered,” he said.

“To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered,” he added.

The apology comes amid controversy over VDM’s appearance at the NBA Annual General Conference, which also attracted criticism from some members of the legal profession.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana had questioned the decision to invite the social media activist to participate in a specialised discussion, arguing that professional gatherings should ensure that speakers addressing specialised subjects possess relevant expertise.

VDM subsequently defended his participation and explained why he was invited to the conference. He later responded to some of the criticism through social media, including a video in which he appeared wearing a lawyer’s wig and gown.

The latest apology also follows the separate controversy surrounding VDM’s allegation that some police officers manning checkpoints allegedly pass information about wealthy travellers to kidnappers.

The Nigeria Police Force challenged him to provide evidence to substantiate the allegation.

VDM, in response, maintained that he had evidence to support his claim and challenged the authorities to take him to court, saying he would present the evidence if required.

In his latest video, however, he clarified that his criticism was not intended to condemn security agencies or the personnel genuinely working to protect Nigerians.

“I actually know more than the people I was trying to communicate with, so it was not really communicated properly,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to continue supporting security personnel fighting terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and other security threats across the country.

“And to the patriots, to the heroes, to our fallen heroes that have died to protect this country… I am really, really sorry,” he said.

“Keep on fighting for our beloved country, God bless all of you. We Nigerians are with you,” he added.

VDM’s apology has now shifted part of the debate from the substance of his original allegations to the manner in which he communicated them.

While he has acknowledged that describing security agencies collectively as “unknown gunmen” was unfair, he continues to insist that alleged corruption, information leaks and internal sabotage within security institutions deserve attention.

His allegations against specific security personnel remain allegations and have not been established as facts by a court or independent investigation.

The police response and any subsequent investigation could determine whether evidence exists to substantiate specific claims made by the activist.

For now, VDM has sought to draw a distinction between his criticism of alleged misconduct within the security system and the work of soldiers, police officers and other personnel who risk their lives to protect Nigerians.

His latest comments are likely to fuel further discussion about the need for public criticism of security institutions to be balanced with recognition of the sacrifices made by personnel serving in conflict zones and other dangerous environments.

NBA controversy: VDM apologises to security agencies over ‘unknown gunmen’ remarks