ABUJA: Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of adopting policies that embolden bandits, worsening insecurity across the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai alleged that the government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), was paying monthly allowances to bandits and providing them with food under the guise of a non-kinetic approach. He described the strategy as a kiss-the-bandits policy.
What I will not do is pay bandits or send them food in the name of non-kinetic measures. It’s nonsense; we’re empowering them. Kaduna is part of a national policy driven by the NSA. Kiss the bandits that’s the new policy, he said.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, condemned what he described as a rehabilitation strategy for criminals rather than holding them accountable for their crimes.
“My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all; let’s bomb them until nothing is left.
You do not negotiate from a position of weakness, nor empower your enemy with money to buy weapons,” he added.
The former two-term governor insisted that residents in states like Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna know the reality of ongoing government dealings with bandits. He vowed to reveal more details at the appropriate time.
His remarks come amid renewed concerns about violent attacks in the North, with recent incidents reported in Katsina, Benue, and Plateau states.
While the Federal Government is yet to formally respond to El-Rufai’s claims, NSA Nuhu Ribadu had in July defended the administration’s record, insisting that banditry, Boko Haram attacks, and communal clashes had significantly reduced under President Bola Tinubu compared to the previous administration.
Ribadu cited statistics showing that over 1,192 people were killed and 3,348 kidnapped in Kaduna State, while more than 5,000 lives were lost in Benue State during the last administration.
He added that security operations in the North-West have since led to the release of 11,259 hostages as of May 2025 and the elimination of several bandit leaders.
The NSA has repeatedly urged Nigerians not to pay ransom to kidnappers, stressing that such actions only fuel criminal networks.
