By Kingston Magare 2.9.2025
Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has doubled down on his claims accusing the government of President Bola Tinubu of paying bandits terrorising the country with money.
Mr. El-Rufai had first made the allegations during a chat on Sunday with Channels TV, but the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu rubbished the claim.
In a statement signed by his spokesman, Zakari Mijinyawa, the NSA said it has never engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals, emphasising that the administration has consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransoms.
But El-Rufai reinforced his position Tuesday in a statement saying: “As usual, the combined voices of the Government of Kaduna State and ONSA, instead of responding to the core issues I raised, seek to deflect responsibility by alleging that exposing them amounts to politicising security.
“We are not the first to reveal the government’s ongoing greasing of the palms of non-state actors in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi, and other states.”
El-Rufai further alleged that videos and testimonies from traditional rulers, clerics, and community leaders confirm that payments to bandits are ongoing, saying official denials fall flat.
“National security is a very serious matter, critical to the peace and prosperity of the country, and the safety and wellbeing of citizens.
“It is unpatriotic to disguise incompetence in understanding it, much less managing it, as media stunts,” El-Rufai added.
El Rufai...security conversations