Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has denied claims by Nasir el-Rufai, former Kaduna Governor, that the federal government is funding or incentivising bandits.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking in an interview on Sunday, el-Rufai alleged that officials are sustaining bandits under the guise of a “non-kinetic” approach to security.
He said, “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.”
“It’s a national policy… many states are objecting to it. But that is the policy now. My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one.”
“Let’s wipe them out, bomb them, reduce them to nothing. And then the five percent that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated.”
Reacting in a statement on Monday, Zakari Mijinyawa, ONSA’s head of strategic communications, described the allegations as baseless.
He insisted that no government agency has ever engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.
The ONSA spokesman said, “On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom.”
Mijinyawa stressed that the government operates a dual-track strategy in its fight against insecurity.
He said, “From inception, this government adopted a dual strategy: decisive kinetic operations alongside 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.”
He noted that security forces have recorded notable successes, citing the capture or elimination of bandit leaders such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka.
The ONSA official said, “Only recently, leaders of Ansaru who previously established bases in Kaduna were apprehended.”
The statement further condemned el-Rufai’s remarks, describing his denial of the sacrifices made by security personnel as “unfair and insulting to their memory.
Mijinyawa urged the former Governor to avoid politicising security matters. He emphasised that the fight against banditry is a collective one and not a platform for political point-scoring.
