The Federal Government has debunked allegations by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that it was offering incentives to bandits through the Office of the National Security Adviser.
El-Rufai, in a television interview on Sunday, accused the ONSA of coordinating a policy of paying criminals.
But in a statement on Monday, the ONSA spokesperson, Zakari Mijinyawa, dismissed the claim as false.
“At no time has the ONSA, or any arm of government under this administration, engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals,” he said.
Mijinyawa noted that the government had repeatedly cautioned Nigerians against paying ransom to kidnappers, stressing that the Tinubu administration had instead adopted a dual approach of military action and community engagement to combat insecurity.
He explained that the strategy had yielded results in areas like Igabi, Birnin Gwari and Giwa in Kaduna State, where notorious bandits had been neutralised.
The ONSA further disclosed that bandit leaders such as Boderi, Baleri, Sani Yellow Janburos, Buhari and Boka had been eliminated, while leaders of Ansaru, a terrorist group once active in Kaduna, were recently apprehended.
“These successes came at a cost, some of our brave officers paid the supreme price.
“For a former governor to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting to the memories of our security personnel,” Mijinyawa added.
The ONSA also urged El-Rufai and other political leaders to refrain from dragging security institutions into political controversies.
“The fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring,” the statement read.