Kaduna Govt gives El-Rufai seven days to prove ₦1bn payment to bandits claim or face legal action

Kaduna Govt Gives El-Rufai Seven Days to Prove ₦1bn Payment to Bandits Claim or Face Legal Action

The Kaduna State Government has dismissed as false the allegation by former governor Nasir El-Rufai that the administration of Governor Uba Sani paid ₦1 billion to bandits. The government has issued a seven-day ultimatum for El-Rufai to either provide evidence or retract the claim, warning that failure to do so will trigger legal action.

El-Rufai had reportedly stated during a Channels Television appearance that the state made payments to criminal groups as part of its security dealings. But reacting on Sunday, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shu’aibu (SAN), described the accusation as “reckless, baseless and deliberately misleading,” accusing the former governor of “weaponising a sensitive security issue for political grandstanding.”

The government insisted that Governor Uba Sani has never approved, negotiated, or released funds to criminal elements, reaffirming his stance: “Not one naira. Not one kobo.” It also referenced earlier clarifications from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which dismissed similar statements by El-Rufai as inconsistent with national security protocols, stressing that neither the Federal Government nor states pay ransoms or fund criminal networks.

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Officials said the Sani administration is pursuing a community-centred security strategy, built on stronger military collaboration, engagement with legitimate local leaders, and expanded access to education, healthcare and economic support—emphasising that “the state engages communities, not bandits.”

Civil groups such as the Birnin-Gwari Vanguard for Security and Good Governance, which grappled with heightened insecurity during El-Rufai’s tenure, have also rejected his assertions as misleading.

The government further noted that senior officials from El-Rufai’s own administration previously accused him of using public funds to placate certain groups, describing his latest allegation as “deeply paradoxical.”

Challenging the former governor to produce verifiable proof—including bank statements, memos or security documents—the government stressed that similar allegations made by El-Rufai in September 2025 were never substantiated.

Reaffirming its commitment to transparency and responsible security management, the Kaduna government said it would not be distracted by “the politics of bitterness, fear-mongering or orchestrated falsehoods.”

Kaduna Govt gives El-Rufai seven days to prove ₦1bn payment to bandits claim or face legal action