FG Refutes El-Rufai’s Allegation of Paying Bandits

The Federal Government has dismissed claims made by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on national television that it had been paying bandits.

In a statement shared on Monday by Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), under Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, described the allegation as false.

According to the statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa for ONSA, the government has never coordinated or authorized any policy of paying or offering incentives to bandits.

“The attention of the Office of the National Security Adviser 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 ground,” the statement read.

The ONSA explained that since inception, the Tinubu administration has adopted a dual strategy of decisive military operations alongside community engagement to address local grievances, noting that this approach has brought relative peace to areas like Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa in Kaduna State.

The statement commended the military and security agencies for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and banditry. It highlighted the elimination of notorious kingpins such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow, Janburos, Buhari, and Boka, as well as the recent arrest of Ansaru leaders who once operated freely in Kaduna.

“These successes came at a cost, as some of our brave officers paid the supreme price. For a former governor like El-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel,” Mijinyawa said.

The ONSA further urged El-Rufai and other political leaders to avoid dragging national security institutions into partisan disputes, stressing that the fight against banditry is a collective responsibility and not a platform for political point-scoring.