Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has accused the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Kaduna State Government of stifling dissenting voices instead of tackling insecurity across the country.
He alleged that both institutions have turned national security into a propaganda tool while secretly funding bandits.
This was contained in a statement signed by Malam El-Rufai on Monday, in response to counter-claims by ONSA and the Kaduna Government over his interview on Channels Television.
The statement reads partly: “As usual, the combined voices of the Government of Kaduna State (KDSG) and ONSA, instead of responding to the core issues I raised, seek to deflect responsibility by alleging that exposing them amounts to politicising security.
“As a person whose three siblings served in the Nigerian Army and the Airforce, with one of them rising to the rank of general, I have and will continue to appreciate and honour the memory of our citizens in uniform who have made sacrifices for Nigeria. I will also continue to appreciate the immense work that continue to be done by gallant officers of the military and security agencies.
“It is a well-known fact to discerning Nigerians that the face of the politicisation of national security for politically intended purposes resides, for the first time in our recent history, in the ONSA under its present leadership. If the ONSA thinks Nigerians are not following its unclear and incompetent management of terrorism and banditry in Northern Nigeria and beyond, in collaboration with a certain senator, also from the North, then it is high time it carried out an in-depth evaluation and review of its actions.”
“We are not the first to reveal the government’s ongoing greasing of the palms of non-state actors in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi, and other states. No matter how incompetent in security matters he may be, the National Security Adviser cannot be oblivious of videos and audios of traditional rulers, community leaders and religious leaders condemning the payments made by the state to bandits. The attempt at denial falls flat as many citizens in the affected states have been following the counter-replies by community leaders and clerics on the issue of government paying bandits.”
“We spoke the minds of distressed communities across Nigeria who are victims of banditry and terrorism, and who are watching with pain the way and manner the ONSA, which ought to be discreet and purely carry out intelligence coordination, is now deeply involved in lousy protocol and public relations duties along with politically inclined security management at the expense of the expertise of trained professionals.”
El-Rufai accused the National Security Adviser of turning “non-kinetic” operations into a money-making venture, alleging that large sums are withdrawn from state coffers under the guise of negotiations with bandits. He challenged ONSA to account for funds allegedly delivered to criminal groups through intermediaries.
The former governor also faulted the Kaduna Government for suppressing true data on killings and kidnappings.
He said while his administration regularly published quarterly security reports without distortion, the current government has been muzzling local media and downplaying incidents.
He criticised the ONSA for staging rescues of kidnap victims, citing examples where families had already paid ransom before security agencies announced successful operations. According to him, such acts were official falsehoods aimed at misleading Nigerians.
El-Rufai further condemned the involvement of security chiefs in political gatherings, arguing that parading military officers at rallies was itself a politicisation of national security.
He also demanded clarity on alleged housing projects for victims of banditry, urging Nigerians to verify whether the beneficiaries truly occupy them.
The former governor maintained that insecurity should be confronted with technology, personnel and proper funding, not propaganda.
He warned that attempts by the ONSA and Kaduna Government to harass political opponents under the guise of security management risk plunging the country into anarchy.
