Defence Minister Christopher Musa has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai of carrying out policies that, he alleged, deepened divisions within the state.
Musa made the allegation during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, where he accused the former governor of “doing a lot of terrible things” during his tenure.
According to the minister, el-Rufai’s administration contributed to a situation in which residents from different parts of Kaduna became increasingly reluctant to live in areas outside their regions.
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two,” Musa said.
He alleged that people from southern Kaduna were discouraged from moving to the northern part of the state, while some residents from the north relocated southwards.
“In that, if you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live. Those ones from the north were moving to the south,” he added.
Musa’s comments come amid continued debate over Kaduna’s political and security history, with questions surrounding the relationship between communities and the impact of past government policies remaining politically sensitive.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023, has yet to publicly respond to Musa’s latest allegations.
The former governor remains a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political discourse, particularly over his record in Kaduna and his views on national politics.
