Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of deliberately sustaining armed bandits through policies that provide them with allowances and food supplies under the guise of non-kinetic security measures.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, El-Rufai described the approach, which he claimed is coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), as a “kiss-the-bandits policy” that only strengthens criminal 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,” he said.
He argued that such concessions embolden the perpetrators of violence and prolong insecurity across the country. According to him, providing funds and food to bandits only enables them to acquire sophisticated weapons.
El-Rufai reiterated his stance against negotiations with armed groups, maintaining that appeasement is counterproductive. “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 declared.
The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory further alleged that residents in northern states such as Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna are well aware of the alleged government-backed appeasement.
“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… they know what is happening,” he said, challenging governors and officials to publicly deny the claims. “When the time comes, we will reveal everything.”
