By Faith Chondol
The Middle Belt Forum has backed Defence Minister Christopher Musa Gwabin over his comments on former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, demanding an independent investigation.
The National Spokesman of the forum, Luka Binniyat, made the demand on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at a press conference in Kaduna.
Binniyat said the forum had no reason to ask Musa to apologise to El-Rufai, insisting that the minister’s comments reflected the experiences of communities affected by violence in Kaduna State during the former governor’s administration.
The controversy followed comments by Musa during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on September 3, where he accused El-Rufai of deliberately planning the killing of people and alleged that the former governor had admitted to paying bandits.
El-Rufai, through his lawyers, rejected the allegations and demanded a public apology and N10bn compensation from the defence minister.
However, Binniyat said the MBF was not speaking on Musa’s behalf but as a group representing communities in the Middle Belt, including Southern Kaduna.
“The Middle Belt Forum is not a mouthpiece for Gen. Musa. We are speaking as witnesses to what happened in Kaduna State during that period, since Southern Kaduna is part of the Middle Belt,” he said.
The forum also rejected claims that the violence experienced in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s tenure was simply inherited from previous administrations.
According to Binniyat, although Kaduna had experienced communal and religious crises before 2015, attacks on rural communities allegedly became more widespread during El-Rufai’s tenure, leading to killings, destruction of communities and displacement.
He also alleged that some community leaders and traditional rulers were arrested following attacks instead of the perpetrators being apprehended.
Binniyat cited the 2016 arrest of the District Head of Goska, Moses Barde, following an attack on the community in Jema’a Local Government Area.
He also recalled the arrest and subsequent dethronement of the B’Gwam Kurama, Dr Ishaku Sabo Damina, as well as the arrest of 15 Atyap leaders in 2021 over allegations that they killed 706 cows.
On the 2019 Kajuru crisis, Binniyat accused the former governor of making conflicting statements about the number of people killed, saying the figure initially announced as 66 Fulani victims was later increased to 130 and then 133.
He said several Adara leaders were subsequently arrested, including the then President of the Adara Development Association, Awemi Dio Maisamari.
According to him, Maisamari and eight other Adara leaders later secured N900m in damages after the Federal High Court in Kaduna ruled that their detention was unlawful.
The MBF subsequently called for an investigation into El-Rufai’s administration and urged that, if evidence establishes criminal responsibility, the former governor should be prosecuted for alleged crimes against humanity.
“It is the opinion of the MBF that El-Rufai should be charged with crimes against humanity and be handed over to the International Criminal Court for proper prosecution,” Binniyat said.
The forum said an investigation was particularly necessary following retired General Martin Agwai’s reported denial of claims that his committee had recommended that El-Rufai pay killers of people in Southern Kaduna.
Binniyat also called for a review of unresolved cases involving mass killings in Southern Kaduna, including the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and killing of the Agwom Adara, Dr Raphael Maiwada Galadima, in October 2018.
The forum further criticised the former administration’s handling of the 2015 Shiite crisis, prolonged curfews imposed in parts of Southern Kaduna and what it described as inadequate protection of communities from attacks.
It also accused the administration of carrying out mass dismissals of workers and demolishing homes and businesses.
The allegations made by the Middle Belt Forum come amid the ongoing public dispute between Musa and El-Rufai over the former governor’s record on insecurity in Kaduna State.
Post Comment