Olayiwola Matthew
The Presidency has slammed the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent claim that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) coordinates a policy of payments and offers incentives to bandits.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Zakari Mijinyawa, who signed on behalf of the ONSA, described the allegation as baseless.
Titled, “Fight Against Banditry: Facts Disprove El-Rufai’s False Claims,” the presidency insisted that it had always warned Nigerians against paying for ransom so it could not be caught doing otherwise.
Mijinyawa wrote, “This claim is baseless. 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. El-Rufai’s allegations are not only false but also contradict verifiable facts on ground.
“From inception, this government adopted a dual strategy: decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements aimed at addressing local grievances. The result is evident in areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna that once suffered untold terror in Kaduna state but are now experiencing relative peace.”
In addition, ONSA praised the military and other security agencies for their efforts to capture and eliminate notorious bandits in the country.
“In Kaduna alone, known kingpins as 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.
“These successes came at a cost, some of our brave officers paid the supreme price. 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.”
The statement continued, “We urge El-Rufai and all political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles.
“The fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring.”