Fight Against Banditry: NSA Refutes El- Rufai’s Allegation
The office of the National Security Adviser has refuted the allegation by former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nassir El- Rufai in a television interview on Sunday that the office coordinate a policy of payments and offers incentives to bandits
In a statement of rebuttal it issued and signed by Zakari Mijinyawa on behalf of the National Security Adviser, it described the allegation as not only false but baseless noting that at no time
has the office or any arm of government under the present administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals but that the office have consistently warned Nigerians against paying ransom to criminals.
The statement noted that from inception, the government adopted a dual strategy: decisive kinetic operations alongside community engagements aimed at addressing local grievances; saying that the result is evident in areas such as Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and other parts of Kaduna that once suffered untold terror in Kaduna state but are now experiencing relative peace.
” The efforts of our gallant military and security agencies in capturing or eliminating notorious bandits have been widely reported in the media. In Kaduna alone, known kingpins who once terrorised residents such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari and Boka, among others, were eliminated. Only recently, leaders of Ansaru who previously established bases in Kaduna were apprehended.
“These successes came at a cost, some of our brave officers paid the supreme price. For a former governor of a state in person of El-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel”, noted the statement.
The office of the National Security Adviser, advised El-Rufai and all political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into partisan battles, reminding him that the fight against banditry is a collective struggle and not a platform for political point-scoring.
