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The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has dismissed claims by Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna State Governor that the Federal Government had been coordinating ransom payments and inducements to armed bandits across the Country.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Zakari Mijinyawa, on Monday, ONSA described El-Rufai’s comments as “false, baseless and contradictory to verifiable facts on the ground,” stressing that the administration has never adopted ransom payments as a policy tool.
El-Rufai had, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, accused the government of adopting what he termed a “kiss-the-bandits” approach.
He alleged that instead of mounting decisive military action, FG had opted for a policy of negotiation and compensation that effectively emboldened armed groups.
Reacting, ONSA maintained that such allegations were not only untrue but also disrespectful to the memory of security personnel who had lost their lives combating banditry.
“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,” the statement read.
The agency outlined the government’s strategy as a combination of “decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements aimed at addressing local grievances,” adding that the approach had brought significant relief to terror-prone communities.
According to ONSA, localities such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa in Kaduna State, once epicentres of relentless attacks are now experiencing relative peace due to sustained counter-banditry efforts.
The statement further emphasised that security forces had made enormous sacrifices in the fight against criminality.
“It is deeply insulting for a former governor to go on national television and deny the sacrifices of our fallen heroes,” ONSA declared.
The agency urged El-Rufai and other political leaders to refrain from dragging national security institutions into partisan disputes, warning that sensitive issues such as the fight against banditry must not be reduced to political point-scoring.
