Ribadu Dismisses El-Rufai’s Claim That Government Pays Bandits As Baseless

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has dismissed claims by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai that the government is paying bandits.

In a statement signed by Zakari Mijinyawa from the NSA’s office, Ribadu described El-Rufai’s allegation as false and baseless, saying it contradicts verifiable facts.

El-Rufai had alleged during a television interview that the NSA coordinated ransom payments and incentives to bandits. Ribadu refuted this, stressing that the government has consistently warned against such payments.

“From inception, this government adopted a dual strategy: decisive military action alongside community engagement to tackle local grievances. This approach has brought relative peace to previously troubled areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, and Giwa,” the statement read.

Ribadu highlighted that notorious bandit leaders—including Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari, and Boka—have been eliminated, while Ansaru leaders who established bases in Kaduna have been arrested.

“These gains came at a cost, with some of our security personnel paying the ultimate price. For a former governor to disregard these sacrifices is unfair and deeply insulting,” Ribadu stated.

He urged El-Rufai and other political figures to stop dragging national security agencies into partisan disputes, emphasizing that the fight against banditry requires unity, not political point-scoring.