By Ogunyemi Opeyemi Victor, ABNews – Abuja, Sept. 1, 2025
Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has strongly accused the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Kaduna State Government (KDSG) of politicizing national security, mismanaging counter-terrorism efforts, and secretly funding bandits across Northern Nigeria.
In a fiery statement released on Monday, El-Rufai said both ONSA and the Kaduna Government have failed Nigerians by turning security management into a “game of propaganda and deception” instead of protecting lives and property.
According to him, allegations that he was politicizing security are baseless, stressing that his earlier interview on Channels Television only echoed the cries of victims and distressed communities battling banditry and terrorism.
“The face of politicization of national security for politically intended purposes resides, for the first time in our recent history, in the ONSA under its present leadership,” El-Rufai declared.
Payments to Bandits in the North
The former governor alleged that funds from state treasuries in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, and Kebbi were being handed to terrorists under the guise of “non-kinetic approaches” to peace.
“What exactly constitutes negotiations with bandits? Why is non-kinetic approach equal to withdrawing huge amounts of money and handing them to criminals?” he asked.
El-Rufai also challenged the ONSA and Kaduna Government to explain who delivers such funds, how much is paid in taxes before delivery, and why certain officials have suddenly acquired expensive real estate in Abuja.
Propaganda and False Narratives
El-Rufai accused the federal government of stage-managing security successes. He cited instances where families of kidnapped victims paid ransom privately, only for ONSA operatives to later parade the victims as “rescued.”
He described such actions as “official falsehoods,” noting that citizens in the affected states know the truth.
Disputed Security Reports
The former governor compared his administration’s quarterly security reports to the current government’s alleged cover-ups. He said his government never suppressed data on killings, kidnappings, or attacks, while the present Kaduna Government muzzles the local media and quarrels with independent reports from outlets such as SaharaReporters and SBM Intelligence.
“The current government seems not to realize that citizens can easily see the dissonance between their security circumstances and the whitewashed version coming from an increasingly distrusted and incompetent government,” El-Rufai said.
Politicization of Security Agencies
He further criticized the use of senior military officers to support political rallies in Kaduna, saying this undermines professionalism and fuels public distrust.
“In the megalomania of the National Security Adviser, every attempt to hold him accountable is politicization of security, every perceived enemy of his is a security risk, and every critic of a purportedly democratic government is unpatriotic,” he alleged.
Warning Against Harassment of Opposition
El-Rufai also accused the Kaduna Government of unleashing thugs to disrupt opposition activities, citing the reported attack on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) meeting in Kaduna on August 30.
He warned that politicizing policing and using security agencies to silence opponents could push the state into chaos.
Call for Real Solutions
El-Rufai urged the federal government to redirect resources toward adequately equipping the military, intelligence services, and security agencies, rather than wasting funds on questionable peace deals with criminals.
“National security is a very serious matter, critical to the peace and prosperity of the country… It is unpatriotic to disguise incompetence in understanding it, much less managing it, as media stunts,” he stressed.
He concluded with a blunt message to ONSA and the Kaduna Government: “Tell no lies, claim no easy victories.”
