The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of deliberately creating conditions that led to the killing of people in Southern Kaduna, reviving controversy over the security crisis that affected the region during his administration.
Musa made the allegation on Thursday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised what he described as the deep divisions created in Kaduna State under the former governor’s leadership.
According to the minister, El-Rufai’s administration worsened tensions between communities, making it difficult for residents from Southern Kaduna to freely live in parts of northern Kaduna and vice versa.
He, however, praised the current administration of Governor Uba Sani, saying efforts had been made to rebuild trust and restore unity among residents.
“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 from the north were moving to the south.”
The defence minister said residents of Southern Kaduna still carried deep wounds from the killings recorded during El-Rufai’s tenure, alleging that the former governor was responsible for deliberately planning attacks against the people.
“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,” Musa said.
He further alleged that El-Rufai openly spoke about some of his actions while in office, claiming the former governor’s statements had contributed to the anger felt by affected communities.
“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 scale of killings witnessed in Southern Kaduna during the period had left residents traumatised, adding that the security situation had improved under 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.
Musa also accused the former governor of policies that denied opportunities to some residents, including people from his own part of Kaduna State.
