FG, El-Rufai clash over payment of ransom to bandits

A public clash has erupted between former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Federal Government, after El-Rufai accused the administration of a “kiss-the-bandits policy” that involves paying ransom and providing support to criminals.

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and “insulting.”

The controversy stems from a television interview on Sunday, where El-Rufai alleged that the federal security apparatus, coordinated by the ONSA, has a policy of appeasement toward bandits.

“What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic,” El-Rufai said.

“It’s nonsense; we’re empowering bandits. It’s a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser… Kiss the bandits; that’s the new policy.”

He doubled down on his long-held hardline stance, stating, “My position has always been [that] the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing.”

The former governor claimed that citizens living in the affected states, including Katsina and Zamfara, “know what is happening” and challenged the government to publicly deny his claims.

In a swift and sharp rebuttal, the ONSA, in a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa on Monday, dismissed El-Rufai’s allegations as “false” and a contradiction of “verifiable facts on the ground.”

The office asserted that at no time has it or any arm of the current administration engaged in paying ransoms or giving inducements to criminals.

“On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom,” the statement read. “El-Rufai’s allegations are not only false but also contradict verifiable facts on ground.”

The ONSA emphasised what it called its successful “dual strategy” of decisive military operations and community engagement to address local grievances. It cited improved security in areas like Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa local government areas in Kaduna State, which were once terrorized by bandits but are now experiencing “relative peace.”

The office also said it was “deeply insulting” for El-Rufai, a former state governor, to deny the sacrifices of security personnel who have lost their lives in the fight against banditry.

The ONSA urged El-Rufai and other political actors to “desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles” and warned against using the fight against insecurity for “political point-scoring.”

The public clash is the latest sign of a strained relationship between the former governor and the current administration. El-Rufai, who was a key figure in the campaign that brought President Bola Tinubu to power, has previously criticised the administration’s policies and was not cleared for a ministerial appointment after a Senate screening.

Some opposition leaders, including El-Rufai, have adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to unseat President Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 general election.

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