By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Kaduna State Government (KDSG) of politicizing national security for partisan purposes.
In a statement he personally signed and released in Kaduna, El-Rufai described the responses from both ONSA and the state government to his recent Channels Television interview as unfortunate and predictable hot air. He said rather than addressing the substantive issues raised, the combined voices of KDSG and ONSA sought to deflect responsibility by alleging that exposing them amounted to politicizing security.
El-Rufai insisted that the face of politicization of national security for politically intended purposes resided, for the first time in recent history, in the ONSA under its present leadership. He accused the NSA of incompetence in tackling terrorism and banditry in the North, alleging collusion with certain political actors. He further criticized the practice of paying bandits under the guise of non-kinetic approaches, describing it as greasing the palms of non-state actors in states including Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, and Kebbi.
The former governor also questioned the credibility of government claims about rescued victims, insisting that many of such cases were actually ransom payments by families later presented as official rescues. On Kaduna’s security record, El-Rufai contrasted his administration’s practice of publishing quarterly and annual security incident reports with what he described as the current government’s attempts to suppress information and muzzle the media.
He condemned the use of security agencies at political gatherings, saying this further illustrated the politicization of security management. He urged ONSA and the Kaduna State Government to focus on solving insecurity rather than seeing in the misery of affected citizens opportunities to claim false glories and squander funds.
El-Rufai concluded by stressing that national security is a serious matter and not a subject for media stunts, warning officials to tell no lies and claim no easy victories.
