ONSA Refutes El-Rufai’s Claim on Ransom Payments to Bandits
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has dismissed as false and baseless claims by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that the federal government under the current administration is involved in making payments or offering incentives to bandits.
In a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa and issued on Monday in Abuja, ONSA described the allegation—made by El-Rufai during a television interview on Sunday—as “not only untrue but also contradictory to verifiable facts on the ground.”
“At no time has the ONSA, or any arm of government under this administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals,” said Zakari Mijinyawa, who signed the statement on behalf of the NSA. “On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom.”
The ONSA explained that the government has from inception pursued a two-pronged strategy against banditry, combining “decisive kinetic operations” with community engagements to address local grievances. According to the statement, the approach has yielded significant results in areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa in Kaduna State, which once bore the brunt of incessant attacks but are now experiencing relative peace.
It further highlighted the achievements of security agencies in dismantling criminal networks across the state. “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,” the statement noted.
While acknowledging that these successes came at a cost, with some security personnel paying the supreme price, the ONSA frowned at what it described as El-Rufai’s disregard for their sacrifices.
“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,” it said.
The NSA’s office urged political leaders to avoid dragging national security institutions into partisan debates, stressing that the fight against banditry should be seen as “a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring.”
