Former Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung has called on Nigeria's Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa, to produce concrete evidence supporting his allegation that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai "deliberately planned for the killing of our people" in Southern Kaduna. Dalung's demand, shared on Facebook on Monday, September 7, 2026, argues that Musa's position as a former Chief of Defence Staff and current Minister of Defence gives his words more weight than a typical political accusation.
Musa's Allegation and Dalung's Response
Musa made the allegation during a recent interview, urging viewers to examine El-Rufai's recorded videos and speeches. He pointed to the former governor's own admission that he paid bandits and took other actions while in office from 2015 to 2023. When pressed on the gravity of his statement, Musa did not retract or soften his words.
Dalung acknowledged that Kaduna's communal violence predates El-Rufai's tenure, citing General Martin Luther Agwai, a Southern Kaduna-born former Chief of Defence Staff, who traced the region's crises through the 1987 Kafanchan conflict, the 1992 Zangon Kataf crisis, the 2000 Sharia violence, and the 2011 post-election killings.
Historical Context and Agwai's Role
El-Rufai appointed Agwai in 2015 to investigate the Southern Kaduna crisis, and that committee did not conclude the crisis was of the governor's making. In 2016, El-Rufai publicly acknowledged that his government had paid compensation to Fulani who lost cattle and family members during the 2011 post-election violence, in exchange for a halt to reprisals. Agwai subsequently warned that if compensation was being paid, all aggrieved parties, including communities and destroyed churches and mosques, should be included, not herdsmen alone.
Dalung's Challenge to Musa's Military Record
Dalung's sharpest challenge targets Musa's own professional record. Musa served as Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai in 2021, rose to Chief of Defence Staff in 2023, and became minister in 2025. Dalung asked: if Musa held credible evidence that a sitting governor was orchestrating the murder of citizens, what did he do with that information while serving in uniform? Who did he report it to, and was the allegation ever placed before the President or the National Security Adviser?
Retired Major-General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, who served as GOC 1 Division in 2021, added a rebuttal. Ali-Keffi said El-Rufai never ordered him to halt military operations against criminals, and that the Kaduna State government, through officials including Samuel Aruwan, regularly provided intelligence to field commanders. He also noted that Southern Kaduna largely fell under the 3 Division and Operation Safe Haven structure rather than his own formation.
Family Ultimatum and Legal Threat
Dalung clarified that his commentary was not a defence of El-Rufai's governance record, which he said deserved scrutiny on its own terms. His argument was narrower: an allegation of deliberate criminal intent requires evidence of intent, not simply a record of violence during a governor's term.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that El-Rufai's family responded to the allegations made by General Musa on live television. During a Channels Television programme on September 3, 2026, Musa claimed that El-Rufai actively planned killings in Southern Kaduna while in office. The family said no evidence was presented to back the allegation and warned of legal action if a retraction is not made within 7 days.
