‘Present Evidence El-Rufai Paid Bandits’ – Ex-General Tells Defence Minister

A retired Nigerian Army Major General, Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi has called out the Defense Minister, Christopher Musa over his recent remarks on former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, saying the comments were politically motivated.

Ali-Keffi, a former General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, was also said to have warned senior military officers to beware of being caught in partisan disputes, saying comments by generals could easily be interpreted as the position of the military establishment.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, the retired officer said serving and former military commanders should exercise caution in making comments on politically sensitive issues.

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

‘Our words are powerful. Right, so many people listen to our words. We have to be very careful.

That is what CG Musa alleged, he alleged that El-Rufai paid the bandits. How? You got facts? Bring it on! “Why do you keep it? Bring it on!

“I am very disappointed with what the Minister of Defense and my erstwhile friend I should say, General CG Musa has done.

Speaking from his experience as GOC 1 Division, Ali-Keffi denied El-Rufai stopped troops from acting against armed groups in Kaduna.

He said he was never directed by the former governor to spare criminal elements on the basis of ethnicity.

“El-Rufai has never negotiated with bandits. El-Rufai as the General Officer Commanding never asked us military people not to carry out operations against the Fulani. In fact he said criminal fulani person should not be spared!” he said.

But Ali-Keffi said his experience of working with Kaduna State Government is different from the picture painted by Musa.

As Kaduna State governor, El-Rufai said the military carried out clearance operations in various areas of Kaduna, while the state government supplied intelligence for security agencies.

The retired officer specifically mentioned Samuel Aruwan who was in charge of internal security in Kaduna under El-Rufai for his constant cooperation with military commanders.

Aruwan maintained contacts with security officials and passed on intelligence that was useful to military operations, he said.

Ali-Keffi said he had also reached out to El-Rufai before some clearance operations to request that the residents be warned to keep away from places where troops would be deployed.

The former governor initially doubted the necessity of such warnings, thinking that people living in certain forests were helping criminals, he said.

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But Ali-Keffi said he explained that the military had an obligation to minimize civilian deaths and other collateral damage.

El-Rufai eventually accepted the military’s stand and didn’t interfere with the operations, he said.

Ali-Keffi also questioned the timing of Musa’s criticism, suggesting the defense minister had chosen to speak out after El-Rufai had lost some of the political influence he wielded when he was in government.

“Where’s your chivalry?” he added. The man is down. . . . Why didn’t he say that when [he] was gone up? He had no liver, no stomach.

That’s too far-fetched for me. That to me is just politics, and cheap politics at that matter.”

He cautioned that military officers could harm their careers if they were perceived as being openly involved in political disputes.

While defending El-Rufai against Musa’s allegations, Ali-Keffi said his position should not be seen as an endorsement of the entire record of the former governor in office.

He mentioned his own differences with the former governor of Kaduna, including the demolition of what he said was his property at the National Eye Center area in Mando.

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