Photo File: Nasir El-Rufai

A former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of adopting policies that, in his view, strengthen rather than weaken bandits operating across the country.

Speaking during a media outlet, El-Rufai alleged that the Federal Government, under the guise of non-kinetic measures, was providing “monthly allowances” and food supplies to bandits. He described the policy as a “kiss-the-bandits” approach that only emboldens the armed groups.

“What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic. It’s nonsense; we’re empowering bandits,” the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory declared. “It’s not the government of Kaduna State; it’s a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Kiss the bandits—that’s the new policy.”

The former two-term governor faulted the policy of rehabilitation for criminal groups, insisting that bandits should face justice for their crimes. He maintained that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity was a direct result of the Federal Government’s strategy.

“My position has always been [that] the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing, and then the five per cent that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated,” he said. “You do not negotiate from a position of weakness. You don’t empower your enemy; you don’t give him money to go and buy sophisticated weapons. That is why the insecurity problem has not gone away and will not go away as long as this policy continues.”

El-Rufai further alleged that residents in states such as Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna are fully aware of the government’s actions. “Let the governor or anyone come and deny. When the time comes, we will reveal everything,” he added.

His remarks come amid heightened concerns about insecurity, with recent attacks reported in Katsina, Benue, and Plateau states.

However, the Federal Government has not officially responded to El-Rufai’s claims. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, had earlier insisted that insecurity in the northern region had significantly reduced under President Bola Tinubu’s administration compared to the previous government.

Addressing northern leaders at a two-day interactive session organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna, Ribadu said that between 2015 and 2023, more than 1,192 people were killed and over 3,348 kidnapped in Kaduna State alone, while Benue State lost over 5,000 lives in the same period.

He attributed the reduction in violence to Tinubu’s directive for a unified security strategy, noting that security operations across the North-West had led to the release of 11,259 hostages as of May 2025. Ribadu also disclosed that several notorious bandit leaders and their fighters had been neutralised in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states.

In April, the NSA had urged Nigerians to stop paying ransoms to kidnappers, stressing that financial incentives only sustain the cycle of criminality.