ABUJA — A retired Nigerian Army Major General and former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, has challenged Defence Minister Christopher Musa over allegations that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai paid or negotiated with bandits during his tenure.

Ali-Keffi described Musa’s comments as politically motivated and urged the Defence Minister to present evidence to support the allegation rather than making what he considered politically sensitive claims.

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Speaking in an interview with SaharaReporters, the retired general also cautioned serving and retired military officers against becoming involved in partisan political disputes, stressing that comments by senior generals could easily be interpreted as representing the position of the military establishment.

“Generals should be very careful how we comment on political issues. We are not professional politicians. I mean, we should leave politics for politicians,” Ali-Keffi said.

“Our words carry a lot of weight. Our words are listened to by so many people, right? So we should be very careful.”

Reacting specifically to Musa’s allegation that El-Rufai paid bandits, Ali-Keffi challenged the Defence Minister to provide evidence.

“He alleged, that is CG Musa alleged, that El-Rufai paid bandits. How? You have facts? Present it! Why are you keeping it? Present it!” he said.

Ali-Keffi said he was disappointed by the comments attributed to Musa, whom he described as his erstwhile friend.

‘El-Rufai Never Asked Us To Spare Criminals’

Drawing from his experience as GOC 1 Division, Ali-Keffi disputed claims that El-Rufai prevented the military from conducting operations against criminal elements in Kaduna State.

According to him, he never received any instruction from the former governor to spare criminals, including Fulani involved in criminal activities.

“El-Rufai never negotiated with bandits. El-Rufai never prevailed on us military people while I was the General Officer Commanding not to carry out operations against the Fulani. In fact, he said criminal Fulani person should not be spared!” he stated.

The retired general said his experience while working with the Kaduna State Government presented a different picture from the one recently portrayed by Musa.

He recalled that the military conducted clearance operations in several parts of Kaduna during El-Rufai’s tenure, while the state government provided intelligence that assisted security operations.

Ali-Keffi particularly commended Samuel Aruwan, who served as Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security under El-Rufai, for maintaining regular communication with military commanders and providing intelligence that was useful to security operations.

‘Military Had Duty To Protect Civilians’

Ali-Keffi also recalled instances when he contacted El-Rufai before military clearance operations to request that residents be warned to stay away from areas where troops were expected to operate.

According to him, El-Rufai initially questioned the need for such warnings because of concerns that some people remaining in the forests could be providing support to criminal elements.

Ali-Keffi said he nevertheless explained that the military had a responsibility to minimise civilian casualties and collateral damage during operations.

He claimed the former governor eventually accepted the military’s position and did not interfere with the operations.

Ali-Keffi Questions Timing of Musa’s Comments

The retired general also questioned the timing of Musa’s criticism of El-Rufai, suggesting that the Defence Minister became more outspoken after the former governor lost some of the political influence he enjoyed while in office.

“Where’s your chivalry? The man is down. Why didn’t he say that when [he] was gone up? He didn’t have the liver, no stomach,” Ali-Keffi said.

“That to me is far-fetched. That to me is plain politics, and cheap politics at that matter.”

He warned that military officers could undermine their professional credibility by becoming openly involved in political disagreements.

‘I Don’t Support Everything El-Rufai Did’

While defending El-Rufai against Musa’s allegations, Ali-Keffi stressed that his comments should not be interpreted as an endorsement of everything the former governor did while in office.

The retired general recalled that he had his own disagreements with El-Rufai, including over the demolition of a property he said belonged to him around the National Eye Centre area of Mando, Kaduna.

“I would not have said these things I am saying but it is very unfair for the Minister of Defence Christopher Musa to have gone after El-Rufai. I don’t support some of the things that El-Rufai did, no,” he said.

Ali-Keffi’s comments come amid an increasingly heated political debate over El-Rufai’s record on security and the handling of banditry in Kaduna State, as well as wider concerns about the involvement of military figures in politically sensitive controversies ahead of the 2027 elections.