By Nkechi Eze
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has strongly dismissed allegations by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that the federal government coordinates a policy of paying and offering incentives to bandits.
In a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa of ONSA, the office described El-Rufai’s claims, made during a television interview on Sunday, as false and 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 read.
Instead, the security office emphasized that Nigerians have consistently been warned against paying ransom to criminals, noting that the administration’s approach has been a dual strategy combining decisive military operations with community engagement to address local grievances.
According to ONSA, the results of these efforts are evident in areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna State that were once plagued by banditry but now enjoy relative peace. It further recalled the elimination of notorious bandit leaders including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka, as well as the recent arrest of Ansaru leaders who once established operational bases in Kaduna.
“These successes came at a cost, as some of our brave officers paid the supreme price,” the statement noted. “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.”
ONSA therefore urged El-Rufai and other political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan controversies, stressing that the fight against banditry is a collective national struggle and not a platform for political point-scoring.
