El-Rufai’s Claims Insult Security Sacrifices, Says ONSA

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has dismissed as false and misleading the claims made by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, alleging that the Federal Government is paying or incentivising bandits.

El-Rufai, during a television interview on Sunday, accused the ONSA of coordinating ransom payments to criminal groups. But in a swift rebuttal, the Office described his assertions as baseless, stressing that neither the ONSA nor any government agency under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has engaged in ransom payments or inducements to bandits.

“On the contrary, we have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom,” ONSA stated, insisting that El-Rufai’s comments contradict verifiable facts.

According to the Office, the Tinubu administration has adopted a two-pronged strategy: decisive kinetic operations against terrorists and sustained community engagement to address local grievances. This approach, it noted, has brought relative peace to previously terrorised areas of Kaduna State such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa.

ONSA also highlighted major security breakthroughs, pointing to the elimination of notorious kingpins including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka, as well as the recent capture of leaders of the terrorist group Ansaru, who once held strongholds in the state.

“These successes came at a cost, as some of our gallant officers paid the supreme price,” ONSA emphasised. “For a former governor like El-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is not only unfair but also deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel.”

The Office urged El-Rufai and other political actors to avoid dragging national security institutions into partisan battles, stressing that the fight against banditry is a collective struggle that demands unity rather than political point-scoring.