Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, has come under heavy criticism after issuing a death threat to a social media user who insulted his mother, Hadiza El-Rufai.
The controversy began after Hadiza, a former First Lady of Kaduna State, shared her opinion on the U.S. travel ban that affected Nigeria and other African countries.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she noted that many Nigerians succeeding abroad are of Igbo origin.
While her comments received mixed reactions, some users responded with insults.
One user, identified as @jussstice09, reacted harshly, tweeting, “You no go die well ma.”
In response, Bashir El-Rufai lashed out in a now-deleted post, threatening to trace the user and kill both him and his family if such a statement was repeated.
His post read: “If you ever utter that phrase to my mother again & delete that tweet, I am going to find you (it’s easier than you think) & unalive you & your family.”
The post quickly went viral before it was taken down, drawing widespread condemnation from Nigerians online, many of whom accused Bashir of inciting violence and promoting hate speech.
Hadiza El-Rufai had earlier defended her right to free expression, writing: “No cyberbully can take away my right to express my opinion.
Not everything is about politics; but that is something some of you will never understand.”
The incident has reignited debate around responsible use of social media, online harassment, and the conduct of public figures and their relatives.
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