Nigeria’s Federal Government has dismissed the allegation made by a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, that it empowers bandits as a policy.
In a statement by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Monday, it described the allegation as baseless, adding that the ONSA does not coordinate a policy of payments and incentives to bandits.
“In that interview, he alleged, falsely, that the ONSA coordinates a policy of payments and offers incentives to bandits. This claim is baseless.
“At no time has the ONSA, or any arm of government under this administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.
“On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom. El-Rufai’s allegations are not only false but also contradict verifiable facts on the ground,” the statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa for the Office of the National Security Adviser, partly read.
It explained that from inception, the government adopted a dual strategy — decisive kinetic operations and community engagements — aimed at addressing local grievances.
“The result is evident in areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna that once suffered untold terror in Kaduna state but are now experiencing relative peace.
“The efforts of our gallant military and security agencies in capturing or eliminating notorious bandits have been widely reported in the media. Recently, leaders of Ansaru, who previously established bases in Kaduna, were apprehended,” it stated.
The ONSA said it was unfair and insulting to the memories of our security personnel for El-Rufai to deny the sacrifices made by the military.
It added, “These successes came at a cost; some of our brave officers paid the supreme price. For a former governor of a state in the person of El-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel.
“We urge El-Rufai and all political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles.
“The fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring.”
The “kiss-the-bandits policy”
Speaking on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, El-Rufai alleged that the Federal Government was deliberately empowering armed bandits through policies that provide them with monthly allowances and food supplies, asserting that the approach was a “kiss-the-bandits policy” driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
“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. It’s nonsense; we’re empowering bandits,” the former governor said.
He argued that such measures only embolden the criminals and worsen insecurity.
“You don’t empower your enemy; you don’t give him money to go and buy sophisticated weapons. That is why the insecurity problem has not gone away and will not go away as long as this policy continues,” El-Rufai added.
The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory maintained that negotiations and incentives for bandits were counterproductive.
“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, and then the five per cent that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated,” he insisted.
El-Rufai further claimed that residents of northern states such as Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna are aware of the alleged government-backed appeasement.
“They can deceive, they can cover up, they can do propaganda, but those that live in Katsina, those that live in Zamfara, those that live in Kaduna… they know what is happening,” he said.
Challenging the authorities, he added, “Let the governor or anyone come and deny. When the time comes, we will reveal everything.”
This back-and-forth shows how divided leaders are on tackling insecurity, while ordinary Nigerians keep paying the price.