North Normal, an Abuja-based pressure group that stands against sexual and gender-based violence, through its lawyers has demanded an immediate retraction and apology from Hadiza El-Rufai, the wife to Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai over her libel suit against the group.
In a countersuit on Friday, April 24, 2020, they classified Hadiza El-Rufai’s suit as malicious and a ploy to set them up for violent attacks and harm.
“This is a clear indication of malice; and, of course, that your client has an axe to grind with our clients. It is also a dangerous reckless and malicious ploy to set our clients up as targets for violent attacks, considering the nature of their work,” the document read in part.
Mrs. El-Rufai had gotten her lawyers to write to the key members of the North Normal group; Farida Adamu, Hassana Maina, Fakhrriyyah Hashim, claiming that they had soiled her reputation for calling her out over her support for a post shared on Twitter on April 12, 2020, by her son, Bello El-Rufai in which he threatened to gang-rape a Twitter user’s mother.
32-year-old Bello El-rufai had come under heavy criticisms from Nigerians far and wide, including tens of women’s rights groups, gender groups, and anti-sexual violence groups after he threatened on Twitter to organize a gang rape of a critic’s mother.
SEE PHOTOS OF THE SUIT
There was public outrage when Bello El-Rufai threatened to gang-rape a Twitter user’s mother.
After Bello El-Rufai made the threats, a journalist at Premium Times, Samuel Ogundupe reached out to her, and drew attention to her son’s threats and she said “all was fair in love and war”. Hadiza El-Rufai, was being prodded to denounce her son’s call to sexual violence.
The point I tried to make is for people not to @me. Why should they? Responding to insults on twitter is fair. I stand by that. I had not gone through the tweets because it’s really none of my business, so didn't know the details. He’s an adult not a child, after all.
— Hadiza Isma El-Rufai (@hadizel) April 12, 2020
She deemed all the vile statements credited to her son as “fair” when directed towards those who had insulted him.
All you people talking about @B_ELRUFAI
Don’t @ me. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. All is fair in love and war.
My belief: Respect everyone, but take no shit from anyone.
I didn't see any threats of rape. I would never condone that.
— Hadiza Isma El-Rufai (@hadizel) April 12, 2020
Mrs. El-rufai later apologised for her tweet, saying she would “never condone sexual abuse in any shape or form.
I can see how my tweet may have come across, and I apologise to those who were offended by it. I say, once again, that I’d never condone sexual abuse in any shape or form. https://t.co/TYh9hJAix5
— Hadiza Isma El-Rufai (@hadizel) April 13, 2020
But her son, for much of the week, stood by his tweet and only seemingly caved in to pressure on Friday, April 17, 2020.
In his apology on Friday, April 17, 2020, Mr. El-rufai, who works as a legislative aide to a Kaduna senator, said the comments were made “in the heat of the moment.”
My apology. pic.twitter.com/t3JKHeJNY0
— Bello El-Rufai (@B_ELRUFAI) April 17, 2020
“A few days ago I made a comment that was wrong, unbecoming, and contrary to the values on which I was raised. I wish to withdraw that statement and apologise to the gentleman concerned for the hurtful comment,” he said.
“I also apologise for appearing to attack an entire ethnic group for the misdeed of one person. I regret the sexual innuendo in the private message and apologise unreservedly for it.
“I wish to state very strongly that the statement was made during the heat of the moment and I wish to put on the record that I do not condone sexual violence.”
El-rufai said he does not believe that there can be any justification for gender-based crimes, adding that he is learning from the episode in the continuous journey of emerging as a better person.
“I have apologized to my mother in person. I have also reached out to the women in my life and apologized,” he said.
“I realize that the intensity around this matter stems partly from my surname. The mistakes I made with the private message and in smearing an ethnic group because of one person are now being replicated by people that are attacking my parents and my family because of my conduct.
“I am one of many children in a family raised with standards of decency and strong values of which my recent conduct has fallen short. I appreciate the time that friends and loved ones have taken to show me the error of my ways.
“I apologize to the general public in recognition of the duty to acknowledge wrongdoing and strive to be better.”
