Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of adopting a “kiss-the-bandits policy” in addressing insecurity, claiming the approach indirectly strengthens criminal gangs.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai said: “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.”
He described the initiative as a national programme coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), not specific to Kaduna State. “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,” he added.
El-Rufai, who served two terms as governor, criticized the idea of negotiating or rehabilitating armed groups, arguing it only fuels the crisis. “My position has always been 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.
He also warned that empowering criminals undermines national security: “You do not negotiate from the 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 challenged authorities to counter his claims, stating: “They can deceive, they can cover up, they can do propaganda, but those that live in Katsina, those that live in Zamfara, those that live in Kaduna, those that live in those states, they know what is happening. Let the governor or anyone come and deny. When the time comes, we will reveal everything.”
His remarks come amid ongoing insecurity in the North, with fresh attacks reported in Katsina, Benue, and Plateau states. While the Presidency has yet to respond officially, NSA Nuhu Ribadu defended government efforts in July, noting a reduction in violent crimes under President Bola Tinubu compared to the previous administration.
Ribadu highlighted that 1,192 people were killed and over 3,348 kidnapped in Kaduna during the last administration, while Benue lost more than 5,000 lives in the same period. He added that as of May 2025, military operations in the North-West had freed 11,259 hostages and neutralized several notorious bandit leaders, urging citizens not to pay ransoms as it only encourages criminal networks.
