The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has dismissed allegations made by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that the Federal Government offers payments and incentives to bandits as part of its security strategy.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, ONSA spokesperson Zakari Mijinyawa described El-Rufai’s comments, made during a television interview on Sunday, as “baseless and false.”
According to Mijinyawa, neither the ONSA nor any arm of government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has ever paid ransom or provided inducements to criminals. Instead, he stressed that government has consistently warned Nigerians against ransom payments, noting that the claim “contradicts verifiable facts on ground.”
He explained that the administration has pursued a dual strategy to combat insecurity: decisive military operations combined with community engagements to address local grievances. He said this approach has produced measurable results in Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna State that were once plagued by banditry but now enjoy relative calm.
The statement further highlighted major security successes in Kaduna, including the elimination of notorious bandit leaders such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka. It also recalled the recent arrest of Ansaru leaders who once had bases in the state.
“These successes came at a cost, as some of our brave officers paid the supreme price,” Mijinyawa noted. “For a former governor to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel.”
ONSA urged El-Rufai and other political actors to refrain from dragging national security institutions into partisan disputes, stressing that the fight against banditry is a collective responsibility and not a tool for political point-scoring.