El-Rufai insists FG paying ransom to bandits

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has insisted that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is secretly paying bandits across northern states to free kidnap victims. El-Rufai also dismissed responses from ONSA and the Kaduna State Government to his Sunday television interview as “fake, predictable hot air” aimed at deflecting from their failures. […]

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has insisted that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is secretly paying bandits across northern states to free kidnap victims.

El-Rufai also dismissed responses from ONSA and the Kaduna State Government to his Sunday television interview as “fake, predictable hot air” aimed at deflecting from their failures.

In the interview, El-Rufai had claimed that the present government was paying bandits billions of naira to free some people from their captivity.

He specifically said the issue of insecurity is being underreported in the media, arguing the media is being suppressed, hence making it look like the problem has been solved by the government.

“You don’t pamper terrorists by saying you are negotiating with them. It has never worked anywhere,” El-Rufai had said during the interview.

But the NSA described El-Rufai’s claim as “false,” aimed at denigrating the government’s efforts.

The former Kaduna governor, in a statement on Monday, alleged that under its current leadership, ONSA has become “the face of politicisation of national security” by mismanaging the fight against terrorism and banditry in Northern Nigeria.

He said, “We are not the first to reveal the government’s ongoing greasing of the palms of non-state actors in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi, and other states.

“No matter how incompetent in security matters he may be, the National Security Adviser cannot be oblivious of videos and audios of traditional rulers, community leaders and religious leaders condemning the payments made by the state to bandits.

“The attempt at denial falls flat as many citizens in the affected states have been following the counter-replies by community leaders and clerics on the issue of government paying bandits.”

El-Rufai questioned why a “non-kinetic approach” to security now meant withdrawing huge sums from state treasuries and handing them to terrorists.

He challenged ONSA to explain “the source of newfound wealth among Abuja’s prime real estate buyers.”

He further accused the Kaduna government of suppressing security reports by muzzling local media and twisting aid initiatives into propaganda.

He said, unlike his administration, which published quarterly security reports, the current government relies on “whitewashed narratives” that do not match citizens’ lived realities.

The former governor also dismissed ONSA’s parade of “rescued victims” as propaganda, claiming most families had already paid ransoms before the military claimed credit for their release.

El-Rufai, who served eight years as Kaduna governor, said his administration worked with multiple defence chiefs and security leaders and respected the sacrifices of the military.

However, he accused the current ONSA of preferring “protocol, propaganda and international junkets” over intelligence coordination.

“Insecurity is the menace they ought to eliminate, not opposition voices and platforms,” he said, warning that politicising security risks pushing Kaduna into anarchy.

The former governor insisted he would continue speaking out on behalf of distressed communities, adding, “Tell no lies, claim no easy victories.”

We’re not paying ransom – Ribadu 

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said at no time has the ONSA, or any arm of government under Tinubu’s administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.

The NSA, in a statement signed on his behalf by the Director of Legal Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, said El-Rufai’s comments contradicted verifiable facts on the ground.

“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 said.

Ribadu further explained that from the inception of the Tinubu-led administration, the government adopted a dual strategy: decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements aimed at addressing local grievances.

He added, “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.

“In Kaduna alone, known kingpins who once terrorised residents such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari and Boka, among others, were eliminated.

“Only recently, leaders of Ansaru who previously established bases in Kaduna were apprehended. These successes came at a cost; some of our brave officers paid the supreme price.

“For a former governor of a state in person of El-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel.”

The former EFCC Chairman, however, urged El-Rufai and all other political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles.

He noted that the fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring.

Kaduna warns El-Rufai against inciting crisis

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has accused El-Rufai of plotting to destabilise the state through “provocation, manipulation and incitement.

The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Suleiman Shuaibu, in a statement on Monday, said El-Rufai’s recent actions amounted to a direct threat to peace and development.

According to him, the former governor intensified his activities after his political allies were defeated in the August 16 by-elections.

The government alleged that on August 30, El-Rufai convened “an illegal and chaotic meeting” of his political associates, which degenerated into violence, including gunshots that endangered innocent citizens.

“El-Rufai attempted to shift blame by falsely accusing the government of sponsoring thugs to disrupt the meeting.

“The question must be asked: why would a governor who has just won the hearts of the people through credible elections need to disrupt a gathering of losers?

“This narrative is not only insulting to the intelligence of Kaduna residents, but also exposes El-Rufai’s determination to return Kaduna to the orgy of violence and fear that defined his tenure,” the statement said.