• The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects & Partnerships
    • AUN-PT Data Hub
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects & Partnerships
    • AUN-PT Data Hub
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai and his son, Bello El-Rufai. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of Bello El-Rufai]

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai and his son, Bello El-Rufai. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Twitter handle of Bello El-Rufai]

Bello El-Rufai apologises for threatening gang-rape of Twitter user’s mother

bySamuel Ogundipe
April 17, 2020
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0

Bello El-Rufai has apologised for his infamous conduct on social media last weekend, saying the controversy he sparked fell short of his family’s enduring values of decency and tolerance.

“I wish to withdraw that statement and apologise to the gentleman concerned for the hurtful comment,” Mr El-Rufai said in a statement Friday. “I also apologise for appearing to attack an entire ethnic group for the misdeed of one person.”

Mr El-Rufai, 32, set the Nigerian social media and blogosphere alight on April 12 after a message he sent threatening to organise a gang rape of an adversary’s mother was made public on Twitter.

In the Sunday morning private message to @thanos_zer, Mr El-Rufai said: “Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight.” He then concluded the message with an ethnically charged insult: “No Igbo sounds please!”

No sooner had @thanos_zer, who has maintained his anonymity, posted the message on his timeline than Nigerians began condemning Mr El-Rufai’s conduct. His mother, Hadiza El-Rufai, was the first to be inundated with questions about her son’s sexual violence call.

After over 24 hours of sidestepping calls to disavow her son’s offensive messages, Mrs El-Rufai eventually distanced herself from her son’s behaviour and apologised for not immediately condemning it on Monday afternoon.

Mr El-Rufai, however, did not immediately take his mother’s cue, continuing instead with verbal threats against those criticising his conduct and even threatening to sue this reporter for covering the matter. He later deleted some of his controversial tweets, but the one against PREMIUM TIMES’ reporter remained.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: Cross River govt to distribute foods to 44,000 households

Although he stopped tweeting about the matter as of Tuesday afternoon, anti-rape campaigners, as well as a multitude of social media users, maintained their demand that law enforcement authorities should arrest Mr El-Rufai because his threat violated the Cybercrime Act.

Atiku-Okowa AD

The incident later morphed into partisan political and ideological bickering that festered throughout the week, boiling over on Thursday with the ouster of a literary magazine editor whose handling of the story on the controversy pitted him against his employers.

Mr El-Rufai sought to dampen the temper on all sides Friday afternoon with an unreserved appeal for the public to forgive his excesses.

“I regret the sexual innuendo in the private message and apologise unreservedly for it,” the Kaduna governor’s son said. “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 and I certainly do not believe that there can be any justification for gender-based crimes.”

“I am learning from the episode in the continuous journey of emerging as a better person,” he added.

NAHCON State AD NAHCON Tour Operator AD NAHCON Cargo Operator AD

Kogi AD

TEXEM Advert

He also said he had sought forgiveness from his family members and female friends for his gender and ethnic-based threats, saying such would not be repeated going forward.

“I have apologised to my mother in person. I have also reached out to the women in my life and apologised.

“I realise 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.

Dangote adbanner 728x90_2 (1)

“I apologise to the general public in recognition of the duty to acknowledge wrongdoing and strive to be better,” Mr El-Rufai said.

On Friday afternoon, @thanos_zer declined to comment on Mr El-Rufai’s apology, saying he would take his time to review it and make a public statement if necessary.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Print



Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate



TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Kaduna discharges three more COVID-19 patients

Next Post

Enugu’s last COVID-19 patient tests negative, discharged

Samuel Ogundipe

Samuel Ogundipe

Samuel Ogundipe is a general assignment reporter at PREMIUM TIMES. At various times, he has covered the Presidency, National Assembly and Defence. Twitter: @SamuelOgundipe

More News

FILE PHOTO: Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate

New Naira Notes: Atiku calls for extension of deadline

January 29, 2023
Peter Obi campaigns in Borno (PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Obi's Twitter Handle)

Peter Obi campaigns in Borno, pledges new Nigeria

January 28, 2023
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari

New Naira Notes: Govt ‘ll eliminate squeeze, chaos in currency swap – Buhari

January 28, 2023
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari

New Naira Notes: I know Nigerians are ‘facing hardship’ – Buhari

January 28, 2023
India’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gangadharan Balasubramanian

What India will do differently as G20 president – High Commissioner

January 28, 2023
Dignitaries at the commissioning/ photo credit: Chiamaka Okafor/Premium Times

ECOWAS-Nigeria commissions new chancery building

January 28, 2023
Leave Comment

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • Digital Store
  • Home
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Gender
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • Opinion
  • PT Hausa
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria