The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of creating an atmosphere of division and insecurity that contributed to the killings witnessed in Southern Kaduna during his administration.
Musa made the allegation on Thursday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he revisited the security challenges and deep divisions that characterised Kaduna State under El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure.
According to the minister, the situation became so tense that residents from Southern Kaduna found it difficult to freely live in parts of northern Kaduna, while people from the north also relocated to 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 from the north were moving to the south.”
Musa further alleged that the people of Southern Kaduna continue to live with the pain and trauma caused by the killings recorded during the period. He accused the former governor of deliberately planning actions that allegedly resulted in the deaths of 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.
He also claimed that El-Rufai had openly spoken about some of the controversial actions taken by his administration, including alleged payments to bandits.
“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this, he did that. He didn’t hide it,” Musa alleged.
The Defence Minister said the scale of violence experienced in Southern Kaduna left many residents deeply traumatised, adding that the security situation in the area has significantly improved under the administration of Governor Uba Sani.
“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 introducing policies that, in his view, denied opportunities to some residents, including people from his own part of Kaduna State.
He called on Nigerians to reject politicians who exploit religion, ethnicity or other differences to divide communities, warning that such individuals should not be entrusted with public office.
“Anybody who is using religion or tribe or whatever to divide Nigeria is an enemy of the state,” Musa said.
The minister’s comments are likely to reignite debate over the security crisis in Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s tenure, particularly the killings and communal tensions that affected Southern Kaduna
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