Datti Baba-Ahmed Demands Probe into El-Rufai’s Explosive Claim on FG Payments to Bandits
Datti Baba-Ahmed Demands Probe into El-Rufai’s Explosive Claim on FG Payments to Bandits
Labour Party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has called for a full-scale investigation into the allegation by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the Federal Government is paying monthly allowances and food supplies to bandits.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed dismissed the quick denial issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), insisting that such a weighty claim deserves serious scrutiny, not casual rebuttals.
“If the so-called Office of the National Security Adviser would take this statement with levity, then Nuhu Ribadu was never a policeman; he is not a qualified lawyer; he should not be in that office,” Baba-Ahmed charged.
“El-Rufai Must Answer Questions”
The LP chieftain said El-Rufai should not just be allowed to drop explosive claims on national television without accountability.
“Nasir should be writing some statements to the police, to the courts,” he argued.
The controversy stems from El-Rufai’s remarks on Sunday Politics, where he condemned the Federal Government’s “non-kinetic” strategy, alleging that both Abuja and Kaduna were directly funding bandits.
“What I will not do is to pay bandits, give them a monthly allowance, or send food to them in the name of non-kinetic. It’s nonsense; we’re empowering bandits,” El-Rufai said.
He further claimed the practice was not a Kaduna State initiative but a “national policy driven by the NSA”, adding: “Kiss the bandits; that’s the new policy.”
NSA Denies, Baba-Ahmed Pushes Back
Both the NSA’s office and the Kaduna State Government have strongly denied El-Rufai’s allegations, branding them baseless. But Baba-Ahmed was not convinced.
“That is not a reaction,” he said. “Do people understand the gravity of this statement? A national policy is the official position of a government; an official declaration. Was such a thing ever approved? Why did Nasir say it?”
Call for Accountability
Baba-Ahmed stressed that such claims, coming from a former governor and member of Nigeria’s security inner circle, cannot be swept under the carpet.
He maintained that the seriousness of El-Rufai’s allegations demands a formal probe to establish the truth, restore public confidence, and ensure accountability.
By Haruna Yakubu Haruna
