Bashir El-Rufai, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has sparked controversy after making a controversial comment on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that the killings in Southern Kaduna would persist if residents continued to attack Fulani herdsmen.
In an online spat with X user AIG (@qykali), Bashir responded to a quoted post, saying; “And Southern Kaduna residents will keep seeing sheghe if they continue to attack indigenous Fulani herdsmen. Oloshi”
The use of the term sheghe (shege)—a Hausa slang word implying suffering or severe consequences—has drawn condemnation, with many accusing Bashir of justifying violence against Southern Kaduna communities, who have long been victims of deadly attacks by suspected herdsmen.
The exchange began when Bashir posted, “conspiracy theories flying about Pablo’s former ties with SDP, then that must mean he/they have moles within the party already to sabotage the process.
“It is lie. This is not Labor Party. They cannot pull it off.” AIG (@qykali) retaliated, saying, “Look at this Giraffe neck calling the president Pablo whereas your midget Dad is a Fulani irredentist who engaged in industrial scale ethnic cleansing of people of southern Kaduna for the eight years he was Governor”
Bashir’s father, Nasir El-Rufai, recently defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after resigning from the APC.
In his resignation letter dated March 10, 2025, El-Rufai accused the APC of betraying its founding progressive ideals and dismissed the current leadership as directionless.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” he stated.
His eight-year tenure as Kaduna State Governor was marred by recurring crisis and killings in Southern Kaduna, with critics accusing him of not doing enough to address the issues.
Bashir’s comments have been interpreted as tacit support for Fulani herdsmen and a threat of instability in Southern Kaduna.
However, since Governor Uba Sani took office, there has been a relative peace in the region. The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa said.
