Isaac Samuel
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of making payments to bandits in a bid to stop them from killing Nigerians.
The former governor also intensified his criticism of the current administration, predicting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will finish third in the 2027 presidential election.
El-Rufai, now a leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, stated on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics that he had “done my maths” and concluded that Tinubu has no “pathway to win” the election outright on the first ballot.
He argued that bandits should be killed and not engaged in negotiation.
The former governor, who served between 2015 and 2023, 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 declared.
He argued that the so-called non-kinetic strategy only strengthens criminal groups.
“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.
El-Rufai, who described himself as one of the founding fathers of the All Progressives Congress, defended his record in Kaduna, noting that his administration created a Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs and worked closely with security chiefs.
He insisted, however, that unlike the current government, he never paid off criminal groups.
The former governor, who has faced criticism over his political affiliations and controversies in Kaduna, said he remains unapologetic about his stance.
“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 reaffirmed his stance that the current government has failed Nigerians on all fronts, including security, economy, and governance.
On 2027 presidential election, he stated’ “Tinubu will be third in the 2027 election. I have done my maths and I can tell you Tinubu has no pathway to win. The worst case scenario is that there will not be any winner in the first ballot,” he said
He further added that there is “no pretense of good intentions” and that the government should be open to assessment after just a few weeks in office.
Addressing his own political ambitions, the former governor dismissed any desire to be a minister, stating he was a minister at the age of 23 and has no need for the position.
He did, however, acknowledge that he had been considered for the role of energy minister, for which he had a clear roadmap to transform the sector.
