The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has rubbished allegations by former governor of Kaduna, State, Nasir el-Rufai that the agency coordinates ransom payments and incentives to bandits.
Speaking in an interview, el-Rufai claimed that the federal government pays bandits to dissuade them from killing Nigerians.
“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 said.
“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.”
In a statement signed by ONSA’s head of strategic communications, Zakari Mijinyawa, the office described the allegation as baseless and false, stating that neither the agency nor any government body has engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.
“On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom,” the statement said, adding that el-Rufai’s allegations contradict verifiable facts on the ground.
“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 lambasted el-Rufai’s “denial of the sacrifices made by security personnel” as “unfair and insulting to their memory”.
