The Middle Belt Forum has called for an independent investigation into alleged killings, bandit payments and other security-related abuses during the administration of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

It also demanded that the former governor be prosecuted before the International Criminal Court if found culpable.

The forum also declared its support for the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), and urged him not to apologise to El-Rufai over comments he made concerning the former governor’s administration.

The MBF National Spokesman, Luka Binniyat, made the demands on Tuesday at a press conference in Kaduna, where he said the organisation was speaking as a representative of communities in Southern Kaduna that allegedly suffered violence during El-Rufai’s tenure.

The controversy followed Musa’s appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television where he said, “We can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” while referring to the former governor’s administration.

Musa also alleged that El-Rufai had admitted paying bandits, claiming that videos and public statements existed to support the allegation.

El-Rufai, through his lawyers, subsequently rejected the allegations and demanded a public apology and N10bn compensation from the Defence Minister.

But the MBF said Musa had no reason to apologise, arguing that his comments reflected the experiences of communities affected by violence in Kaduna.

Binniyat said, “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.”

The forum rejected the argument that the violence in Kaduna during El-Rufai’s administration was merely inherited from previous governments.

According to Binniyat, while Kaduna had witnessed communal and religious crises before 2015, attacks on rural communities allegedly became more widespread during El-Rufai’s tenure, leading to killings, destruction of villages and mass displacement.

He further alleged that instead of apprehending perpetrators of attacks, the administration sometimes arrested community leaders and traditional rulers from affected areas.

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.

The MBF spokesman also revisited the 2019 Kajuru crisis, alleging that El-Rufai made controversial statements concerning the number of people killed during the violence.

He recalled that the former governor initially announced that 66 Fulani people had been killed in Kajuru before the figure was later revised to 130 and then 133.

Binniyat said several Adara leaders, including the then President of the Adara Development Association, Awemi Dio Maisamari, were subsequently arrested.

He noted that 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 forum also called for a review of unresolved cases of mass killings in Southern Kaduna, including the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and murder of the Agwom Adara, Dr Raphael Galadima, in October 2018.

It demanded an investigation into allegations that the former administration paid bandits and urged authorities to establish the truth behind conflicting accounts concerning the alleged payments.

The MBF said the investigation should also examine the December 2015 Shi’ite crisis, the use of prolonged curfews in parts of Southern Kaduna and the alleged failure of the government to adequately protect vulnerable communities.

The organisation further criticised the mass dismissal of workers and demolition of homes and businesses during El-Rufai’s tenure.

Binniyat said the forum’s demand was not merely for a political inquiry but for a process capable of determining whether individuals responsible for alleged atrocities could be held criminally accountable.

He said, “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.”

The forum said its demand for an investigation had become more urgent following retired Gen. Martin Agwai’s denial of claims that his committee had recommended that El-Rufai pay killers of Southern Kaduna people.

The MBF maintained that the conflicting accounts should be subjected to an independent investigation rather than settled through political arguments or demands for apologies.

It said victims of violence and displaced communities in Kaduna deserved an impartial process capable of establishing what happened, identifying those responsible and determining whether the allegations against former government officials warranted criminal prosecution.

The forum therefore urged the Federal Government to establish an independent mechanism to investigate the allegations and, where evidence establishes criminal responsibility, ensure that those responsible face appropriate prosecution, including possible proceedings before the ICC.