By Shamshedeen Baruwa
In a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program, aired on August 31, 2025, and anchored by Seun Okinbaloye, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai displayed an abysmal poor attempt at revisionism by launching a scathing critique at the current administration’s handling of security challenges in the state. Speaking with a mix air of defiance and nostalgia, El-Rufai accused the federal government of empowering bandits through payments and non-kinetic strategies, while implying that security in Kaduna has deteriorated under his successor, Governor Uba Sani. He went further, alleging that Sani’s government sponsored disruptions at political events and dismissing any notion of friendship between them, referring to Sani as merely “my boy and mentee.”
With a straight face, El-Rufai declared magisterially that “Insecurity in Kaduna has not improved and those in Kaduna know it. 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 is nonsense. We are empowering bandits. It is a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Kaduna is part of it and most states are not objecting to it.” Of course the ONSA wasted no time in responding to El Rufai’s lie on payment of money and allowances to bandits to secure peace, saying the claim is baseless.
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This interview, laden with personal barbs and selective memory, represents a blatant exercise in revisionism—one that conveniently glosses over the rampant insecurity that defined El-Rufai’s own eight-year tenure from 2015 to 2023.
El-Rufai’s narrative paints a picture of his administration as a bastion of resolute action against criminality, where he claims to have refused to pay bandits and rather established a Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to coordinate with federal agencies. He understandably played down the now famous non-kinetic approach in tackling security challenges by the Governor Uba Sani led administration which emphasizes dialogue, rehabilitation, and community engagement as “nonsense” that only strengthens criminals by providing them resources for more weapons.
According to him, the only viable solution is a purely kinetic one: “The only repentant bandit is a dead one,” he asserted, advocating for bombing and wiping out armed groups. Yet, this tough-talk rhetoric belies the grim reality of his governance, during which Kaduna became synonymous with bloodshed, kidnappings, and communal clashes. Data from credible sources like the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) reveal a state plagued by violence, with thousands of lives lost and entire communities displaced during El Rufai’s administration spanning eight years.
Under El-Rufai’s watch, Kaduna recorded over 3,600 fatalities from armed violence between 2015 and 2022 alone, according to ACLED. The total death toll during his full tenure climbed to 4,876, with insecurity incidents numbering 1,660 across the state. Only five out of 23 local government areas (LGAs) were considered safe, leaving vast swathes of territory vulnerable to bandits, herder-farmer conflicts, and terrorist incursions. In 2021, an average of nine people were kidnapped daily, a statistic El-Rufai himself acknowledged in security reports, though he framed it as a call for more federal support rather than an indictment of his policies. High-profile incidents, such as the abduction of students from Greenfield University and Bethel Baptist High School, the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy, and the derailment of a train en route to Abuja, underscored the chaos. Southern Kaduna, in particular, endured what many described as a genocide, with recurring ethnic and religious violence claiming hundreds of lives annually.
Admittedly, El-Rufai’s policies often exacerbated these tensions. His administration’s approach was marked by high-handed punitive measures, including mass demolitions, sackings of teachers and civil servants, and a hardline stance that alienated communities. He openly boasted of “dealing with” Southern Kaduna leaders, whom he accused of fomenting discord, and showed little tolerance for dissent. While he created the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, it did little to stem the tide of violence, as evidenced by the escalating fatalities in his second term (2020-2023), which saw 3,444 deaths. Critics argue that his refusal to engage in dialogue—now referred as “non-kinetic”—left root causes like poverty, exclusion, and historical grievances unaddressed, allowing insecurity to fester.
But in a remarkable and heartwarming contrast, Governor Uba Sani, who assumed office in May 2023, has spearheaded a transformative strategy known as the “Kaduna Model.” This hybrid approach blends kinetic operations with non-kinetic elements, prioritizing dialogue, trust-building, inclusion, and community ownership of the peace processes. Drawing from successful models in Africa and beyond, it involves establishing a Peace Dialogue Group with religious, traditional, and community leaders, alongside robust collaboration with security agencies. The results have been fantastically tangible: over 500 schools and 500,000 hectares of farmland, previously shuttered due to threats, have reopened. Markets like Kara Livestock in Birnin Gwari and Kidandan in Giwa, closed for over a decade, are bustling again. Displaced residents have returned and are still happily returning to their homes, and economic activities are revving up in once-desolate areas like Chikun, Zango Kataf, and Southern Kaduna.
Security statistics under Governor Uba Sani tell an immense story of progress and development. In his first two years, ACLED and ICIR data show a by far significant reduction compared to El-Rufai’s era, despite inherited challenges. Over 300 kidnapped victims from previous abductions have been released through coordinated efforts with the National Security Adviser (NSA). The model’s success has drawn high commendations from top figures. The NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, praised the Kaduna Model on BBC Hausa, urging other states to adopt this “pragmatic” hybrid for sustainable peace, noting Kaduna’s shift from an “epicentre of violent attacks” to a “model of stability.”
Tellingly, President Bola Tinubu, during a visit not too long ago, remarked that one could now safely travel to Birnin Gwari at midnight without fear, crediting Governor Uba Sani’s leadership. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, hailed the inclusive governance underpinning the model. Even the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, commended Sani’s commitment to peacebuilding.
As can be attested to by many, Governor Uba Sani’s non-kinetic focus addresses the socioeconomic drivers of insecurity. Initiatives like the Tallafin Noma program have supported over 69,000 smallholder farmers with free inputs, revitalizing agriculture in rural areas. The Qatar Charity Sanabil Project provides housing, schools, clinics, and malls for victims of banditry, aiding resettlement and healing. Skills acquisition and financial inclusion programs combat poverty, a key insecurity fuel. These efforts have fostered elite consensus and reduced politicization of security, as Governor Uba Sani warned against in March 2025.
El-Rufai’s dismissal of this approach as empowering bandits ignores the aforementioned gains. His allegations that the federal policy—mirroring elements of the Kaduna Model—is worsening security in Kaduna contradict the evidence. Moreover, his personal attacks on Governor Uba Sani reveal underlying grudges. Despite Sani’s manifesto pledging to “S.U.S.T.A.I.N” El-Rufai’s legacy, the former governor left a massive debt burden of estimated $587 million foreign, N85 billion domestic, and N115 billion in liabilities which Governor Uba Sani has been repaying while still delivering appreciable results as can be attested to by the people across all walks of life. El-Rufai’s accusations of thug sponsorship at an ADC event and claims of no friendship smack of bitterness, especially amid probes into his administration’s alleged financial mismanagement.
For the sake of emphasis and avoidance of doubt, this attempt at revisionism by Nasir El-Rufai is poor because it fails to acknowledge Governor Uba Sani’s humanist programs, which have touched lives in education, health, and infrastructure. Over two years, Sani has reconstructed 14 general hospitals with renewable energy, boosted FDI, and harmonized taxes, leading to a 40% rise in business registrations.
Former critics, including Senator Shehu Sani, now applaud the restoration of peace, respect for rights, and inclusive development in the state.
All things considered, the Sunday night interview by El-Rufai exposes a desperate attempt to rewrite history amid his fast waning political relevance in Kaduna State. The type of transformation going on in Kaduna state under the able leadership of Governor Uba Sani proves that non-kinetic strategies, when combined with action, yield visible gains. The Kaduna Model is not just a local success; it’s a blueprint for Nigeria. As Ribadu urged, other states should adopt it, leaving revisionists like El-Rufai in the past where they belong.
• Baruwa, a Peace and Conflict Resolution expert, writes from Kaduna, Kaduna State
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