The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has strongly dismissed allegations from former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the federal government is coordinating ransom payments and providing incentives to bandits. El-Rufai, in a recent interview, had criticized what he called a misguided “non-kinetic” approach to insecurity, claiming that officials are paying and feeding criminals instead of eliminating them. “What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance or send food to them. Non-kinetic is nonsense. We are empowering bandits. That’s what is going on,” El-Rufai stated, adding that his position has always been that “the only repentant bandit is a dead one.”
In a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa, the head of strategic communications for ONSA, the office described El-Rufai’s claims as “baseless and false.” It emphasized that neither the agency nor any government arm has engaged in ransom payments or provided inducements to criminals. “On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom,” the statement said. ONSA highlighted that the current government’s strategy is a dual approach, combining “decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements aimed at addressing local grievances.” The agency pointed to verifiable results in areas like Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa in Kaduna, where security agencies have successfully captured or eliminated notorious bandit kingpins such as Boderi, Baleri, and Sani Yellow Janburos.
Mijinyawa condemned El-Rufai’s comments as a “denial of the sacrifices made by security personnel,” calling the remarks “unfair and insulting to their memory.” The statement concluded by urging the former governor to avoid politicizing national security institutions, reiterating that the fight against banditry requires a unified front, not political point-scoring.
