The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has refuted claims by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the Federal Government coordinates payments and inducements to bandits.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Zakari Mijinyawa, ONSA described El-Rufai’s allegations as false, baseless, and inconsistent with verifiable facts on the ground. The office stressed that neither it nor any arm of government under the current administration has ever engaged in ransom payments to criminal groups.
“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.
El-Rufai, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, had accused the Federal Government of adopting a “kiss-the-bandits” approach, alleging that armed groups were being compensated instead of being militarily confronted. He described the policy as “non-kinetic” and claimed it amounted to empowering bandits.
However, ONSA countered that the government has pursued a dual strategy—combining decisive kinetic operations with community engagement initiatives to address local grievances. It pointed to improved security in Kaduna communities such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa as evidence of progress.
The agency also paid tribute to security personnel who have lost their lives in the fight against banditry, describing El-Rufai’s remarks as “deeply insulting” to their sacrifices.
ONSA urged the former governor and other political figures to refrain from dragging national security institutions into partisan disputes, stressing that the fight against banditry should not be reduced to political point-scoring.
