Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has openly criticized the Federal Government’s alleged strategy of granting concessions to armed bandits across Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai accused the government of providing financial allowances and food supplies to bandits under the guise of non-kinetic conflict resolution.
“What I will not do is pay bandits, give them monthly allowances, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic measures. It’s nonsense; we are empowering criminals. This is a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser. I call it a ‘kiss-the-bandits’ policy,” El-Rufai said.
The former FCT Minister insisted that negotiating with bandits only emboldens them, arguing that the only effective way to end insecurity is through decisive military action.
He maintained:
- “The only repentant bandit is a dead one.”
- “You do not negotiate from a position of weakness.”
- “You don’t empower your enemy with money and food.”
According to him, this alleged soft approach is the reason insecurity lingers in Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and other parts of the North.
While the Federal Government has not officially reacted to El-Rufai’s claims, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, recently stated that banditry and terrorism have reduced significantly under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ribadu revealed that over 11,259 hostages have been rescued, and several top bandit leaders neutralized across Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina since 2023. He further urged Nigerians to stop funding kidnappers through ransom payments.
The clash of perspectives between El-Rufai and the Federal Government underscores the ongoing debate about the best way to address Nigeria’s security crisis.
