The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has accused former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of deliberately creating conditions that contributed to the killings in Southern Kaduna during his administration.

Musa made the allegation on Thursday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he criticised what he described as the deep divisions that characterised Kaduna State under El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure.

According to the minister, policies and actions of the former governor heightened tensions between communities and created an atmosphere in which residents of Southern Kaduna found it difficult to live freely in parts of northern Kaduna, while some residents from the north relocated to the southern part of the state.

“We know how it was when El-Rufai was there; it was toxic,” Musa said.

“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the state into two. If you are from the south, you cannot go to the north to live. Those from the north were moving to the south.”

The defence minister said the people of Southern Kaduna continued to bear the scars of the violence recorded during the period, alleging that El-Rufai deliberately planned attacks against them.

“I think if there’s anything worse than unhappy, we can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” he said.

Musa also alleged that the former governor had previously spoken publicly about some of his actions, including claims concerning payments to bandits.

“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this, he did that. He didn’t hide it,” the minister alleged.

He said the scale of violence recorded in Southern Kaduna had left many residents traumatised, while contending that the security situation had improved significantly under the administration of the incumbent governor, Uba Sani.

“The Southern Kaduna people are still very pained. If you look at the number of killings that was done there and what is going on now, you can’t compare at all,” Musa said.

The minister further accused El-Rufai of implementing policies that allegedly denied opportunities to some residents, including people from his own part of Kaduna State.

Musa urged Nigerians to reject politicians who exploit religious, ethnic or other differences to divide communities, warning that such individuals should not be entrusted with public office.

“Anybody who is using religion or tribe or whatever to divide Nigeria is an enemy of the state,” he said.

The allegations are likely to reignite debate over the security crisis and communal violence that affected Kaduna State during El-Rufai’s tenure, as well as the former governor’s controversial policies and statements on security and banditry.