They Are Paying Bandits, Empowering Them, - El-Rufai Alleges

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of paying armed bandits in the name of negotiation, a move he says only emboldens the criminals rather than curbing their violence.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, El-Rufai alleged that the policy was being driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and imposed on states, including Kaduna, despite objections.

El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna between 2015 and 2023, reiterated his long-standing stance that dialogue with terrorists is counterproductive.
“My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing. Then the few that want rehabilitation can be rehabilitated,” he declared.

The former governor argued that the so-called non-kinetic strategy of engaging insurgents has worsened insecurity in parts of the country, citing recent intelligence and independent reports as proof.

El-Rufai also referenced reports by SBM Intelligence and Sahara Reporters, which he claimed show insecurity deteriorating in Kaduna and Zamfara States under the present administration.

Defending his own record in office, he noted that his government established a Ministry of Internal Security and worked closely with security chiefs, while refusing to pay criminal groups.

He further insisted that his criticism is rooted in principle, not politics:
“Even if it is my son or my father who is president or governor and he’s not doing the right thing, I have the right to disagree and criticise. Is that negative? Is that what Nigeria is?”

El-Rufai, one of the founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), concluded that the current government has failed Nigerians on security, the economy, and governance.

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