Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has firmly rejected claims that his administration has paid money to bandits, describing such allegations as political mischief.
Appearing on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, September 7, the governor responded to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s statement suggesting that some states, including Kaduna, had engaged in compensating armed groups under a Federal Government-backed initiative.
“We have not paid one person a dime, not one naira to anybody. Our Kaduna model is a community-based initiative, driven by religious and traditional leaders. It has nothing to do with paying bandits,” Sani declared.
Governor Sani explained that insecurity in Kaduna and the wider North-West is largely economically driven, unlike the ideological insurgency in the North-East.
He noted that the state’s strategy emphasises “non-kinetic” measures, which do not mean sidelining the military but rather strengthening governance in rural areas, restoring farming livelihoods, and fostering community trust.
‘‘When we started this Kaduna model, many thought we would not succeed. But today, it is a success story. Security chiefs across Nigeria have openly commended it and called for its adoption in other states,” he said, citing improvements in places such as Birnin Gwari.
He accused certain politicians of exploiting security concerns for political advantage.
“Some politicians are only trying to misguide and misinform the public for political points. But in Kaduna, nobody has paid a naira. We were elected to solve problems, not to blame others,” he added.
Sani stressed that the Kaduna model focuses on empowering people and addressing the root causes of criminality, positioning it as a template for other states battling banditry across the North-West.
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