Muslim and Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna have called for peace and restraint following the controversy over comments by the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, concerning former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The religious leaders, under the Jama’atu Nasril Islam and Christian Association of Nigeria, made the appeal at a joint peace meeting in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
The development came as El-Rufai demanded N10bn in compensation and a public apology from Musa over alleged defamatory statements made during a September 3 appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
In a letter before action dated September 7 and issued by El-Rufai’s lawyers, the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, the former governor demanded a “prominent, unconditional and unambiguous retraction, correction and apology” from the minister.
Musa was quoted as saying, “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people.” He also allegedly accused El-Rufai of paying bandits and ordering the demolition of houses belonging to people with whom he had disagreements.
El-Rufai’s lawyers described the allegations as false and defamatory, saying they portrayed their client as a criminal, murderer and sponsor of banditry. They demanded N10bn as compensation for damage to his reputation and the distress allegedly caused by the statements.
The lawyers also demanded that Musa publish the retraction in two national newspapers and provide evidence, documents and other materials relied upon in making the allegations. They gave him seven days to comply, warning that failure could lead to legal action.
They further denied that El-Rufai had ever planned killings in Southern Kaduna or paid bandits, maintaining that demolitions carried out during his administration were undertaken in accordance with the law and for public purposes.
However, a Kaduna-based interfaith group, the Muslim-Christian Network for Good Governance, backed Musa and described his comments as “an honest and patriotic assessment” of the former governor’s administration.
The group accused El-Rufai’s government of divisive policies, mishandling insecurity, demolitions, mass sackings and alleged persecution of religious leaders. It said Musa’s remarks reflected the experiences of residents during El-Rufai’s tenure.
The religious leaders at the Kafanchan meeting, however, urged residents not to allow the dispute to fuel ethnic or religious tension.
Chairman of the Council of Imams, Southern Kaduna, Imam Muhammed Kabir Kasim, described Musa as an experienced public servant and urged Nigerians to consider the context of his comments.
“We have lived together as Christians and Muslims for many years. We should not allow one statement to destroy the bonds that exist between our communities,” Kasim said.
Similarly, the Chairman of JNI, Southern Kaduna/Jema’a, Mallam Garba Alhassan Adamu, urged stakeholders to disagree without becoming enemies, stressing that religious leaders had a responsibility to promote peace.
Chairman of CAN, Kachia Local Government Area, Rev. Ezekiel Jock, also cautioned against turning disagreements over political statements into religious or regional conflicts.
“We must separate the person from the statement and address issues based on facts. We should not allow emotions to take over because once emotions take over, peaceful dialogue becomes difficult,” Jock said.
The leaders also warned against the spread of provocative and misleading information on social media, urging Christians and Muslims in the region to prioritise peaceful coexistence.