…Backs Defence Minister, Musa; demands probe into Kaduna killings.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Middle-Belt Forum (MBF) has thrown its weight behind the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), over his remarks on insecurity in Kaduna State, accusing former Governor Nasir el-Rufai of “complicity in mass killings” and calling for an International Criminal Court (ICC) trial.
Addressing journalists at a World Press Conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, MBF National Spokesman, Luka Binniyat, said the Forum was speaking “as star witnesses” to events in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the state during el-Rufai’s administration, from 2015 to 2023.
The solidarity press conference followed Gen. Musa’s appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today,’ on September 3, where he said: “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” while alleging that el-Rufai had publicly admitted to paying bandits.
MBF rejected claims that violence in Kaduna only escalated under el-Rufai because of inherited crises, arguing that what changed was “deliberate targeting of peaceful vulnerable rural communities for annihilation.”
“Communities in Southern Kaduna and other parts of Kaduna State were repeatedly attacked. Villages were burnt, people were killed and thousands were displaced,” Binniyat said.
The Forum cited several cases to back its position, including Goska, 2016, adding, “After an attack on the Kaninkon community in Jema’a LGA, the District Head, Moses Barde, was arrested instead of the attackers.”
Other cases cited are, “Kurama Chief, 2016: The traditional ruler, Dr. Ishaku Sabo Damina, was arrested and dethroned after handing over a suspected attacker to the military.” He later died, in 2021, which MBF linked to trauma from detention.
“Atyap Leaders, March 2021: alleging that “Fifteen leaders, including an 82-year-old man, were arrested and accused of killing 706 cows. At least three died less than a month after release.”
Kajuru 2019 and alleged inflammatory statements, the MBF singled out the Kajuru violence of February-March 2019, saying, el-Rufai’s announcement of 66, then 130, then 133 Fulani deaths “without a shred of evidence” triggered reprisals.
The Forum noted that the then Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abdulrahman Ahmad, faulted the figures and, that Adara leaders, including Awemi Dio Maisamari, were detained for over 100 days.
“In 2024, a Federal High Court awarded N900 million damages to Maisamari and 8 others for unlawful detention,” he said.
According to the Forum’s spokesman, despite the arrests, attacks continued in Karamai, Ungwan Barde, Inkirimi and Dogonnoma, with dozens killed and houses destroyed within weeks.
The Forum also referenced the December 2015 Zaria Shiite clash, saying, el-Rufai “defended the massacre of over 1,000 Shiites” and ordered the arrest of their leaders.
MBF further accused the administration of using 24-hour curfews as “weapons” that left communities defenseless. It cited Goska, in December 2016; Samaru Kataf, in 2017, and multiple Atyap villages in Zangon Kataf, in 2020, where at least 22 people were killed and later 21-33 more, “despite the subsisting curfew.”
“No single Fulani was brought to book,” the statement noted, adding that, el-Rufai “never visited or condemned the killings and did nothing for the displaced persons.”
On mass sackings and demolitions, Forum noted that, beyond insecurity, MBF condemned the mass dismissal of about 22,000 teachers and 35,000 workers, and “cruel demolition exercises” across Kaduna.
It cited the 2016 death of Mary Audu, in Gbagyi Villa, after receiving a demolition notice, and the May 2023 Gbagyi Villa protest where residents alleged 4 youths were killed and 25 injured after KADVIS operatives fired shots.
“Development cannot be measured only by buildings demolished and roads constructed. It must also be measured by the lives protected and the people whose dignity is preserved,” Binniyat said.
The Forum made 5 key demands, including its expression of solidarity with Gen. Christopher Musa over his remarks on el-Rufai’s “seeming complicity,” calling for el-Rufai to be charged with crimes against humanity and handed over to the ICC for prosecution.
MBF also demanded an independent investigation into allegations of payments to bandits, including claims linked to Gen. Martin Agwai’s committee, review unresolved mass killings in Southern Kaduna, including the 2018 kidnapping and murder of the paramount ruler, Agwom Adara, Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima, and to investigate deaths and injuries from controversial demolitions under the el-Rufai administration.
“The appropriate response is not intimidation, insults or political blackmail. The appropriate response is to investigate the issues and establish the truth,” MBF said, adding, “The people, who lost their parents, children, homes, livelihoods, jobs and communities, deserve nothing less.”