Former Kaduna State governor and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of secretly bankrolling and supplying bandits under the guise of a non-kinetic strategy to combat insecurity.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai alleged that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) coordinates the policy, claiming that he and others have documented evidence.
“The Nigerian government has a policy of paying bandits facilitated by the Office of the National Security Adviser. They give them cash and even send food. We have the evidence,” El-Rufai said.
Rejecting the approach, the former governor insisted he would never support what he described as “empowering terrorists.”
“What I will not do is to pay bandits, put them on allowance, or feed them in the name of non-kinetic measures. It is nonsense. We are strengthening criminals,” he declared.
El-Rufai emphasized that the policy is federal, not state-driven.
“It is not the Kaduna State government. It is a national policy driven from Abuja through the NSA. Many states are objecting, but that is the policy now — kiss the bandits,” he alleged.
Reiterating his long-held hardline stance, the former governor argued that only military force can end banditry.
“The only repentant bandit is a dead one. We must bomb them, wipe them out. If a few remain, then we can rehabilitate them. But giving them money only helps them buy more sophisticated weapons.”
He further warned that insecurity in northern Nigeria would persist as long as the alleged policy of appeasement continues.
On Kaduna specifically, El-Rufai accused the current administration of failing to tackle banditry and secretly paying huge ransoms.
“I was governor for eight years; only three schools were attacked. In just two years, more schools have been raided under this administration. They paid bandits a billion naira after the first school attack. They are paying them, apologising to them, and covering up. Let anyone deny it—we have the evidence, and when the time comes, we will reveal it,” he said.