During a recent interview on TVC TV from 2:26, security expert Jonathan Onoja voiced strong criticism of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s handling of banditry in the region.
Onoja challenged the characterization of El-Rufai’s methods as legitimate negotiations with criminal groups. “Talking about negotiation in this context, what El-Rufai did was not negotiation—it’s a way of funding terrorism,” the security analyst stated.
The expert referenced unfulfilled promises from Nigeria’s former national security adviser regarding the disclosure of terrorism sponsors. “Unfortunately, that never happened, that they were going to release the names of the sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria,” Onoja explained. “Until he left office, the over 400 sponsors of Boko Haram that he promised to release never happened.”
Onoja suggested that El-Rufai’s name might have appeared on such a list, noting that the former governor had established what he described as “the national policy where they were feeding bandits and negotiating with bandits.”
The security expert called for greater transparency in addressing the issue. “We need the people to call a spade a spade,” he emphasized. “We cannot say they are negotiating and hiding under the concept of negotiation while they are funding terrorism.”
Drawing on legislative insights about criminal operations, Onoja concluded: “In security, lawmakers have told us it’s a cash business. So we can’t hide under negotiation while we are funding these businesses.”
