By TIMILEYIN OMILANA

Bello El-Rufai, one of the sons of the governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, on Friday apologised for his sexual violence threats and ethnocentric statement on social media.

Bello’s apology came five days after he engaged in a spat with a Twitter user @thanos_zer.

“A few days ago I made a comment that was wrong, unbecoming and contrary to the values on which I was raised,” Bello said in a statement posted on his Twitter handle.

“I wish to withdraw that statement and apologise for appearing to attack an entire ethnic group for the misdeed of one person, he said, adding that he “regret the sexual innuendo in the private message and apologise unreservedly for it.”

The problem started after El-Rufai criticised American president Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. He deemed Trump and incompetent.

“There is nothing as radioactive as an incompetent leader during a time of crisis,” “The United States of America is a case in point. A few states in Nigeria too,” Bello tweeted on Saturday.

@thanos_zer, replied El-Rufai’s tweet with “How about the absentee president in Nigeria?”

El-Rufai quickly erroneously profiled his antagonist as a Southeasterner and called his governor incompetent.

Unfazed, @thanos_zer responded, saying: “I don’t shield anyone who’s inept. I can’t say the same about you. You’re daddy’s boy and of course, nobody attacks the finger that feeds them. Buhari’s ineptitude is mind-blowing. Yes, I said it and you’re not going to make me disappear!”

Moments later, @thanos_zer posted a screenshot of a direct message he said El-Rufai sent to him in which he (El-Rufai) threatened sexual violence on @thanos_zer’s mother laced with an ethnic slur.

El-Rufai’s rhetoric stirred controversy on social media.

Critics said Bello’s comments showed the deeply-rooted bad blood between the northerners and southerners in the country.

Although he was not remorseful initially, El-Rufai said those comments were a product of anger and regrettable.

“I wish to withdraw the statement and apologise to the gentleman concerned for appearing to attack an entire ethnic group,” he said.

• Text (except for amended headline): The Guardian.