The All Progressives Congress League of Professionals (ALP) has faulted comments by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, alleging that the federal government is empowering bandits.
On Sunday, El-Rufai claimed the government was paying bandits a monthly allowance and sending them food under a “kiss-the-bandits” policy.
In a statement signed by Marlin Daniel, national coordinator of ALP, the group described the allegation as misleading.
The group warned El-Rufai and other opposition figures against dragging the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), led by Nuhu Ribadu, into partisan attacks.
“Instead of commending the Nuhu Ribadu-led NSA and our gallant security agencies for a seamless coordination and successful onslaught on insecurity, el-Rufai has chosen to mislead the public,” Daniel said.
He accused El-Rufai of having defended bandits and terrorists during his tenure as governor.
Daniel said the success recorded in the fight against terror under President Bola Tinubu, Ribadu, and the Senate committee on national security cannot be dismissed.
He said: “We make bold to say that the ONSA does not coordinate a policy of payments and incentives to bandits.
“Neither ONSA nor any agency under the Tinubu administration has been engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.”
Daniel said the federal government has instead pursued a dual strategy of military operations and community engagement.
He added that the results of the strategy are evident in areas such as Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and Igabi, which he claimed are now enjoying relative peace.
He said several leaders of Ansaru and other notorious bandits have been captured or eliminated in recent operations.
“These successes came at a cost as some of our brave officers paid the supreme price.
“For a former governor of a state in the person of el-Rufai to deny these sacrifices on national television is both unfair and deeply insulting,” he added.
The ALP urged El-Rufai and other political actors to desist from dragging national security institutions into political battles.
“The fight against banditry is a collective struggle, not a platform for political point-scoring and grandstanding,” the group said.