El-Rufai’s Billion-Naira Bandit Claim “Baseless,” Says Presidency

El-Rufai’s Billion-Naira Bandit Claim “Baseless,” Says Presidency

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai are at odds over allegations that the federal government is paying billions of naira in ransom to bandits and terrorists operating in northern Nigeria.

El-Rufai, speaking on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, alleged that the current administration has been financially compensating bandits to secure the release of kidnapped victims.

He claimed that insecurity in the North has worsened under President Tinubu’s leadership and accused the government of suppressing media coverage to create a false sense of progress.

“What this government is doing, is that they have succeeded in suppressing the media not to report insecurity issues. The present security challenges, particularly in my State (Kaduna), is more than what we had in the past,” El-Rufai said.

He also reiterated his hardline stance on dealing with terrorists: “I still maintain my earlier stance in dealing with these bandits. Kill them all. Reduce them to nothing. I’m a no-nonsense person. You don’t pamper terrorists by saying you are negotiating with them. It has never worked anywhere.”

In a prompt rebuttal issued Monday, Ribadu dismissed El-Rufai’s claims as unfounded and misleading. Through a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa, Director of Legal Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ribadu described the allegations as “baseless.”

“The attention of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has been drawn to comments made by the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in a television interview on Sunday,” the statement read.

“In that interview, he alleged, falsely, that the ONSA coordinates a policy of payments and offers incentives to bandits. 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.”

Ribadu emphasized that the government has consistently advised Nigerians against paying ransom and that El-Rufai’s assertions contradict verifiable facts.

He outlined the administration’s dual approach to tackling insecurity—combining military operations with community engagement—and pointed to tangible improvements in areas like Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa in Kaduna State.

“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,” Ribadu stated.

He highlighted the military’s success in neutralizing notorious bandits: “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.”

Ribadu concluded by urging El-Rufai and other political figures to avoid politicizing national security matters. “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,” he said.

He stressed that the fight against banditry is a shared responsibility, not a tool for political gain.