NSA Ribadu Denies El-Rufai Ransom Payment Claims

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has rejected allegations made by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of spreading falsehoods about the government’s approach to banditry.

In a recent television interview, El-Rufai claimed that the NSA’s office coordinated policies of ransom payments and incentives to bandits.

The NSA, through a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa, an adviser in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), described the remarks as false, baseless, and contradictory to verifiable facts.

According to the statement:

• At no time has the ONSA or any arm of the current administration paid ransom or offered inducements to criminals.

• The government has consistently warned Nigerians against ransom payments.

• El-Rufai’s claims undermine the sacrifices of military officers who died in the fight against banditry.

“For a former governor of a state, in the person of El-Rufai, to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel,” the NSA’s office said.

The ONSA emphasized that government policy is based on a dual strategy:

1. Military operations targeting criminal networks.

2. Community engagement addressing local grievances.

They highlighted successes in Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa, once hotspots of violence, which are now experiencing relative calm.

The statement noted that several notorious bandit leaders, including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka, have been eliminated, while leaders of Ansaru terrorist cells in Kaduna were recently arrested.

The NSA urged El-Rufai and other political figures to avoid dragging security institutions into partisan conflicts.

“The fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring,” the statement concluded.

The clash between El-Rufai and Ribadu underscores the sensitivity of Nigeria’s security strategy and the political fault lines shaping public debate. How leaders frame these narratives can influence public trust in counter-banditry efforts.