FG Paying Bandits, El-Rufai Alleges

By Bukola Kayode

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of paying bandits to dissuade them from killing Nigerians.

Speaking during his appearance on Sunday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the former governor of Kaduna State opined that bandits should be decimated and not engaged in any form of negotiation.

El-Rufai alleged that the policy of negotiating and compensating armed groups was a national directive championed by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

He said, “What I will not do is to pay bandits.  They are paying bandits. They are empowering bandits. This is what this government has done. We have the evidence.  They are paying bandits. They are empowering bandits.

“It’s a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Many states are objecting to that. But that is the policy now.”

El-Rufai maintained that dialogue with terrorists is dangerous.

“My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s wipe them. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing. And then the 5% that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated,” he added.

“You do not negotiate from a position of weakness. You don’t empower your enemy. You don’t give him money to go on and buy more sophisticated weapons. That’s why the security problem has not gone away. It will not go away. As long as this policy continues,” he added.

The former governor also cited intelligence and media reports to back his claims.

“Just last week, SBM published a report that showed that the security situation in Kaduna and Zamfara has actually deteriorated under this government’s watch. A week earlier or two weeks earlier, Sahara Reporters published another credible report that actually,  insecurity has been increasing. What the government has been doing both at the national and state levels is buying the media from reporting it,” he said.

“Even if it is my son or my father who is president or governor and he’s not doing the right thing, I lose the right to disagree or criticise? Is that negative? Is that what Nigeria is?” he asked.

‎He reiterated that the Tinubu Administration has failed Nigerians on all fronts, including security, economy, and governance.