Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that the Federal Government is making payments to bandits as part of a national policy aimed at curbing killings.
Speaking on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, El-Rufai dismissed the approach, insisting that violent groups should be confronted militarily rather than engaged in talks.
He argued that the practice of negotiating and compensating criminal groups is being pushed by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“What I will not do is to pay bandits. They are paying bandits. They are empowering bandits. This is what this government has done. We have the evidence. They are paying bandits. They are empowering bandits,” he said.
According to him, dialogue with armed groups only emboldens them. “It’s a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Many states are objecting to that. But that is the policy now.”
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El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna between 2015 and 2023, declared that he has always opposed negotiations with terrorists.
“My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s wipe them. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing. And then the 5% that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated,” he said.
He warned that the so-called non-kinetic strategy only makes criminal groups stronger. “You do not negotiate from a position of weakness. You don’t empower your enemy. You don’t give him money to go on and buy more sophisticated weapons. That’s why the security problem has not gone away. It will not go away. As long as this policy continues,” he added.
Citing both intelligence and media reports, El-Rufai said insecurity has worsened under the present administration.
“Just last week, SBM published a report that showed that the security situation in Kaduna and Zamfara has actually deteriorated under this government’s watch. A week earlier or two weeks earlier, Sahara Reporters published another credible report that actually, insecurity has been increasing. What the government has been doing both at the national and state levels is buying the media from reporting it,” he stated.
The former governor defended his own record in office, saying his administration created the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs and maintained close cooperation with security agencies.
He maintained, however, that unlike the current administration, he never resorted to paying off criminal groups.
El-Rufai also addressed criticisms of his political stance, saying he remains unapologetic. “Even if it is my son or my father who is president or governor and he’s not doing the right thing, I lose the right to disagree or criticise? Is that negative? Is that what Nigeria is?” he asked.
He concluded by accusing the government of failing Nigerians not just on security but also in the economy and governance.
