Bashir el-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, has disclosed that he keeps guns and knives beside his bed, amid a public dispute with his brother, Bello el-Rufai.

Bashir made the disclosure on Saturday in a series of posts on X while responding to comments concerning the ongoing disagreement between him and Bello, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

The exchange began after an X user, Nurudeen Adamz (@baldeenadamz), reacted to the dispute involving the brothers, saying, “If I were him, I would kpai you myself.”

Bashir responded: “Let him try. I keep guns and knives at my bedside.”

The statement came shortly after Bashir alleged that Bello had told him to kill himself, writing in another post, “Telling me to kill myself.”

Bashir has in recent days publicly criticised his brother over his political choices and alleged conduct toward members of their family.

He accused Bello of hypocrisy and of abandoning the family while maintaining an alliance with Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, who succeeded their father as governor. One of his posts attacking Bello was later deleted.

Bashir also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of turning against his family and vowed not to forgive the ruling party over what he described as its treatment of the El-Rufai family.

He said that even if his father eventually overcame his current political and legal troubles and chose to forgive his opponents, he would not do the same.

“Even if my father emerges from his ordeal like Gandhi and forgives and forgets, I won’t,” Bashir wrote.

He further said he would seek political power for the purpose of confronting those he accused of attacking his family when it was vulnerable.

“I will acquire power somehow for the sole reason of terrorising those (APC) that attacked like wolves upon my family at our weakest. Friend or foe, it won’t matter,” he stated.

Bashir, however, exempted one of his brothers, Mahmud Ribadu, from the threat, describing him as his “biological brother.”

The latest outburst adds to an increasingly public disagreement between Bashir and Bello over an undisclosed family dispute and their differing political positions.

Bello initially remained in the APC after his father defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in March. He later left the ruling party and joined Nasir el-Rufai in the ADC on May 7.

Bashir had alleged that Bello remained politically aligned with Governor Sani until he realised that he was being “dumped.”

The family dispute is unfolding against the backdrop of ongoing investigations involving Nasir el-Rufai. The former governor has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations relating to his administration in Kaduna.