By Suleiman Abubakar Rimi Uku Lafia
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has strongly dismissed allegations made by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, accusing the federal government of paying ransom and offering incentives to bandits.
In a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa on behalf of the NSA’s office, ONSA described the claims made during El-Rufai’s television interview on Sunday as “baseless, false and contradictory to verifiable facts on ground.”
The office maintained that neither the ONSA nor any government agency under the current administration has ever paid ransom or provided inducements to criminals, stressing that Nigerians have consistently been warned against such actions.
Highlighting government’s counter-banditry strategy, the statement noted that the administration has been implementing a dual approach, intensified military operations coupled with community engagements,to restore peace in troubled areas.
“Evidence of progress is clear in Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna once ravaged by terrorists but now enjoying relative calm,” the statement said.
The ONSA further pointed to several successful military operations that have neutralized notorious kingpins, including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari and Boka.
It also recalled the recent arrest of leaders of Ansaru who had established bases in Kaduna.
“These successes came at a heavy cost, with some of our gallant officers paying the supreme price.
For a former governor to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and insulting to the memories of our fallen heroes,” the ONSA declared.
The statement urged El-Rufai and other political figures to refrain from dragging national security institutions into partisan politics, warning that the fight against banditry is a collective national struggle that should not be reduced to political point-scoring.
