Alleged Payment of Bandits: Uba Sani Replies El-Rufai, “Stop Deceiving the People”
- Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state has addressed the allegation that government is paying and feeding bandits in the north
- Former governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, alleged that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) coordinates ransom payments and incentives to bandits.
- The All Progressives Congress (APC) governor said only firearms cannot resolve insecurity in the country
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Kaduna state - Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state has accused of former governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of politicising insecurity in the state.
Governor Sani said firearms alone cannot end banditry in the northern part of the country.
Source: Twitter
Sani stated this while reacting to El-Rufai’s claim that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) coordinates ransom payments and incentives to bandits.
The governor said “poverty, unemployment, and neglect of rural communities are at the heart of banditry”.
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As reported by TheCable, Sani stated this while speaking in Kaduna during the presentation of ‘Where I Stand’, a book written by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi and translated into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo.
“Insecurity can’t be resolved solely through the use of firearms. Whoever makes such a claim is only playing politics. We must fear God and stop deceiving the people because that approach will not work.”
Governor Sani disagreed with El-Rufai’s “misguided non-kinetic” approach to insecurity” claim.
The governor said the Kaduna peace model is a community-driven, non-kinetic strategy involving traditional and religious leaders.
He said the model has been effective in areas like Birnin Gwari.
The governor disclosed that after months of consultations, the government discovered that crime triggered by poverty, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas.
The APC governor argued that insecurity in the north-west is different from the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east, which is ideologically driven.
Tinubu's govt reacts to El-Rufai's allegations of paying bandits
Recall that El-Rufai, had, in a trending interview, alleged that Tinubu's government is empowering terrorists
The former Kaduna governor noted that the federal government adopted a “kiss-the-bandits” approach, alleging a national policy of negotiating with and compensating armed groups rather than confronting them militarily.
In a swift response, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), led by Nuhu Ribadu, in a statement, set the record straight.
“Why El-Rufai Cannot Absolve Himself of Blame”
In a previous story, Legit.ng reported that the 2023 Labour Party (LP) vice presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, reacted to El-Rufai's allegation that the government is paying bandits.
Baba-Ahmed said the former Kaduna state governor cannot run away or absolve himself from the allegation.
The former senator explained why El-Rufai is part and parcel of the insecurity rocking the country.
Source: Legit.ng
