Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
In the latest national security debate gripping Nigeria, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has publicly reacted to strong warnings from Defence Minister General Christopher Musa urging Nigerians to shun support for terrorists, bandits, and other armed criminal groups. The exchange underscores intensifying discussions within the country over how best to confront persistent insecurity across multiple regions.
General Musa, a retired army general appointed as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, recently issued a firm directive that the federal government and its security agencies would no longer tolerate any form of material, moral, or rhetorical backing for terrorists and criminal networks. Speaking at an Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day event in Abuja, Musa declared that the government has empowered security forces to act decisively against all collaborators and sympathisers of terrorism. He urged citizens to actively support the military and other security services by providing timely intelligence, warning that those found facilitating or abetting criminal groups would face the full force of the law. This represented a clear tightening of the federal government’s messaging on insecurity and an unambiguous rejection of ransom payments or negotiations with kidnappers and insurgents.
Musa’s stance comes amid growing concern about the role of societal narratives that might unintentionally legitimise armed groups. In recent statements, he directly criticised voices perceived to excuse or soften the image of bandits and jihadist fighters, emphasising that compassion must not be confused with complicity. The minister’s remarks referenced comments by well-known clerics and public figures who have, in the past, urged negotiations or framed armed groups as misunderstood components of Nigerian society. Musa stressed that such narratives undermine the collective effort to restore peace and stability and could embolden violent actors by normalising their actions.
Responding to these warnings, El-Rufai publicly commended Musa for reiterating that the federal government does not pay ransom to secure the release of kidnapped victims. Through his social media channels, the former governor described the defence minister’s pronouncement as “a breath of fresh air” and urged that it be widely disseminated in English to ensure broader public understanding. El-Rufai has long criticised ransom payments and negotiated peace deals with bandits, asserting that such approaches fuel insecurity rather than resolve it. His praise for Musa’s position aligned with this longstanding view, reinforcing his call for a firm, uncompromising stance against criminal networks.
The broader context for this exchange is Nigeria’s protracted battle with terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, particularly in the northern and central regions. Over the last decade, extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have carried out numerous attacks, displacing millions of civilians and severely disrupting economic activity. At the same time, loosely organised bandit networks in the northwest have capitalised on weak governance and have engaged in widespread kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling, and farm raids. These overlapping security crises have placed immense pressure on federal and state authorities, with Nigerians across diverse regions demanding more effective responses. Despite sustained military operations, insecurity persists, fuelling public frustration and political debate.
El-Rufai’s reaction must also be interpreted within the context of his broader political positioning and recent criticisms of national and state security policy. The former governor has previously accused the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and current security leadership of adopting ineffective and politically expedient tactics that, in his view, have emboldened criminal groups. In televised interviews over the past year, he alleged that some state and federal actors had resorted to indirect payments to bandits under the guise of peace initiatives—claims that security authorities have contested and denied. These comments provoked sharp backlash from several northern youth organisations, which labelled them “reckless” and “baseless,” accusing El-Rufai of undermining efforts to foster national cohesion and security cooperation.
The debate around ransom payments and engagement with armed groups has been particularly heated. Government officials, including Musa, insist that negotiating or paying ransom only emboldens kidnappers and incentivises future attacks. They argue that sustained military pressure and improved intelligence operations have yielded tangible results in freeing hostages and degrading criminal networks. Nonetheless, critics, including El-Rufai, contend that the government must go further—not only militarily, but also through policy reforms that address the socio-economic drivers of insecurity, such as poverty, unemployment, and weak local governance. While Musa has emphasised operational successes and the collective responsibility of citizens to support security efforts, he has also advocated for broader governance improvements at the grassroots level as part of a comprehensive long-term strategy.
Public reactions to the exchange between El-Rufai and Musa have been varied. Supporters of the former governor laud his vocal stance against ransom payments and his support for Musa’s hardline rhetoric, viewing it as necessary to challenge entrenched insecurity. Conversely, critics, including civil society groups and regional youth movements, argue that El-Rufai’s comments risk inflaming public sentiment and detracting from collaborative efforts to build consensus around a unified security strategy. In some quarters, there are fears that polarising language may deepen regional tensions and distract from pragmatic solutions that involve community engagement and socio-economic development.
The interaction between a sitting defence minister and a prominent former governor also highlights broader political undercurrents in Nigeria. El-Rufai, once a key figure within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has increasingly aligned with opposition movements and voiced sharp critiques of federal priorities under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. His criticisms span not just security policy but also governance and party politics, contributing to a complex public image that blends policy advocacy with partisan contestation. Meanwhile, Musa’s messaging focuses on unity and the rule of law, seeking to galvanise national support for security operations while rejecting accusations that the government is negotiating secretly with criminal groups.
As Nigeria navigates these intertwined security and political challenges, the public exchange between El-Rufai and Musa underscores persistent tensions over strategy, messaging, and political accountability. Whether firm warnings and public debate will translate into measurable reductions in violence and enhanced safety for communities remains to be seen. What is clear is that the conversation about how best to confront terrorism and banditry in Africa’s most populous nation continues to evolve amid intensifying demands for peace, stability, and justice.
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