The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has refuted claims by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the Federal Government under the current administration pays ransom or offers incentives to bandits.
In a press statement issued in Abuja on Monday, ONSA described El-Rufai’s allegations, made during a television interview on Sunday, as “baseless” and “deeply insulting” to the sacrifices of security operatives.
“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,” the statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa on behalf of the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu read.
The security office emphasized that its policy has consistently been against ransom payments, warning Nigerians not to yield to bandits’ demands.
“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 ground,” it stated.
Highlighting progress made in Kaduna State, ONSA said government’s dual strategy of “decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements” had brought relative peace to previously troubled areas.
“The result is evident in areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna that once suffered untold terror but are now experiencing relative peace,” the statement noted.
It pointed to the killing and capture of several notorious bandit leaders in recent years as evidence of security forces’ efforts.
“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,” ONSA said.
The office further stressed that these gains had come with sacrifices from security personnel.
“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 statement added.
ONSA urged El-Rufai and other political figures to refrain from politicizing national security issues.
“The fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring,” it concluded.
