Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has sparked controversy after saying he keeps guns and knives beside his bed.
Mr El-Rufai made the remark on Saturday in a series of posts on X during a heated online exchange involving his elder brother, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives.
The exchange reportedly began after Bashir criticised Bello over his political relationship with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and accused him of putting personal interests ahead of family loyalty.
At one point, an X user, Nurudeen Adamz, responded to the dispute by telling Bashir: “If I were him, I would kpai you myself.”
Bashir replied: “Let him try. I keep guns and knives at my bedside.” The post was subsequently deleted.
The statement has drawn attention because of its reference to firearms and knives, although there is no independent evidence that Mr El-Rufai used or displayed any weapon in connection with the exchange.
The latest controversy followed a wider public dispute between the two brothers, with Bashir making several allegations against Bello, including claims relating to his political loyalty and alleged substance use. Those allegations have not been independently verified, and Bello had not publicly responded to them at the time of reporting.
Bashir later deleted several of the posts. Reports said the social media confrontation was part of a growing public disagreement within the El-Rufai family, which has increasingly spilled into the political arena and onto social media.
Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency, initially remained in the All Progressives Congress after his father left the party but later joined Nasir El-Rufai in the African Democratic Congress in May 2026.
The latest incident has once again placed Bashir El-Rufai’s combative social-media presence under scrutiny, following previous controversies over posts that were subsequently deleted or withdrawn. In March, he also apologised to Vice-President Kashim Shettima over a separate post he described as “reckless”.
