Linus Aleke in Abuja

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has countered a claim by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that the Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), is incentivizing bandits operating in the North-west, describing it as not only false but baseless.

Ribadu also urged El-Rufai and all political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles.

The NSA, in a statement signed by the Director of Legal at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, stressed that the fight against banditry is a collective struggle — not a platform for political point-scoring.

He said: “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. 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. 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.

“From inception, this government has 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 but are now experiencing relative peace.”

The NSA stated that the efforts of gallant military and security agencies in capturing or eliminating notorious bandits have been widely reported in the media.

In Kaduna alone, he said, known kingpins who once terrorised residents — such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow, Janburos, Buhari, and Boka, among others — have been eliminated.

He added that, only recently, leaders of Ansaru who had 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 the 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.

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