National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has vehemently rejected accusations by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, who alleged that the federal government is “pampering” bandits through payments and incentives orchestrated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
In a strongly worded response issued Monday, Ribadu’s office labeled the allegations as “false, baseless, and deeply insulting to the sacrifices of Nigeria’s security forces.” The statement, signed by ONSA spokesperson Zakari Mijinyawa, affirmed that neither the NSA’s office nor any arm of the current administration has made ransom payments or offered inducements to criminal groups.
The statement emphasised that the government continues to denounce ransom payments and instead pursues a dual strategy of firm kinetic operations coupled with community engagement to tackle insecurity. Ribadu cited improved security in Kaduna’s Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa local government areas, once hotbeds of bandit activity.
ONSA also highlighted the elimination of notorious bandit leaders—including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka—as well as the dismantling of Ansaru terror bases within Kaduna State. The office urged political figures to refrain from politicising national security matters.
