The former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has reiterated his claim that government officials are paying off bandits under the guise of a “non-kinetic” security strategy.
This was despite the rebuttal from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Kaduna State Government after Mr El-Rufai claimed, during a live interview on Channels Television, that authorities have been sending money and supplies to violent groups.
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Claiming that the authorities are “empowering bandits”, Mr El-Rufai alleged that criminal gangs in Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara and Katsina enjoy monthly stipends and food items from the government.
“What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic… We’re empowering bandits,” Mr El-Rufai had said during the live interview when the anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, asked him to compare his and the incumbent government’s approach to curb terrorism and banditry.
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“It is not the government of Kaduna State,” the former governor and one of the leading opposition politicians added. “It is a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Kiss the bandits; that is the new policy.”
But the ONSA under the leadership of Nuhu Ribadu debunked the claim, describing it as false and baseless. In a statement, the ONSA spokesperson Zakari Mijinyawa said the federal government does not pay ransom to bandits, warning politicians against spreading narratives that could embolden criminals and undermine the morale of security forces.
Also, the Kaduna government said it “will not fold its arms and allow a discredited former leader, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation.”
El-Rufai doubles down
In a follow-up statement on Monday, Mr El-Rufai repeated his claim, saying traditional and community leaders had openly condemned such payments.
He further accused officials of withdrawing “huge amounts of money from state treasuries and handing them over to bandits and terrorists.”
Mr El-Rufai also challenged the government to explain who delivers the cash and how much “personal withholding tax they apply” before the funds reach the recipients (terrorists).
The former governor also questioned the government’s narrative of “rescued victims,” claiming that in many cases, families had already paid ransoms before security agencies staged public handovers.
Although he later opposed ransom payment, compensation or negotiations with bandits, Mr El-Rufai, whose administration struggled to end violence in Kaduna, also paid “Fulani herders” in 2016 to stop killings in Southern Kaduna.
Background
The north-west region has long been ravaged by banditry and terrorism. The situation is further driven and complicated by kidnapping-for-ransom, failed peace deals and exchange of (terrorist) prisoners with kidnapped victims.
In many instances, bandits and insurgents have kidnapped civilians, including students and government officials, collecting ransom before releasing them.
Ransom payments have long been a flashpoint in Nigeria’s fight against banditry. In 2022, the National Assembly amended the Terrorism (Prevention) Act to criminalise the payment of ransom to kidnappers, amid fears that such money bankrolls further violence.
Yet, independent reports show families of abductees often still pay, raising difficult questions about how the state can protect citizens without deepening the criminal economy.
A recent report by SBM Intelligence showed that terrorists raked in N2.57 billion ransom in one year (July 2024 to June 2025), abducting more than 4,000 people.
To stop this, government officials, traditional leaders and Islamic clerics have initiated peace deals with terrorists in places like Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina, resulting in stability in some areas, while other places suffer waves of violence.
But these deals do not always last long. Terrorists who have “surrendered” arms later ventured into banditry and kidnapping, citing breach of agreements.
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