You’re A Known Bandit, Ribadu Too Big To Reply To You, Kwacham Blasts el-Rufai

By; TOM GARBA, Yola

In a scathing attack amid escalating tensions over Nigeria’s security challenges, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Kwacham, a prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholder from Adamawa State, has lambasted former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, accusing him of being a notorious sponsor of banditry during his tenure.

Kwacham’s outburst comes in direct response to el-Rufai’s recent allegations on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, where the former governor claimed that the Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) led by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is empowering bandits by providing them with monthly allowances and food supplies under a so-called “kiss-the-bandits” policy.

el-Rufai described this as a national strategy that incentivizes criminal elements rather than confronting them militarily, asserting that insecurity in the North remains rampant despite government claims of progress.

Kwacham, a grassroots politician and long-time APC member who previously contested for senatorial and gubernatorial positions in Adamawa, dismissed el-Rufai’s accusations as the ravings of a “serial liar” and a “traitor” driven by frustration over his failed ministerial nomination.

He claimed to possess “records and evidence documents” proving el-Rufai’s complicity in aiding bandits during his eight-year governorship in Kaduna, allegedly to advance his political ambitions, leading to widespread killings in Southern Kaduna and other northern areas.

“You’re a known bandit,” Kwacham declared, refuting el-Rufai’s claims of disinterest in the Tinubu administration. “What took him to the National Assembly to be screened as a minister?

“He was not screened because of his dubious behaviour and treacherous character of betrayal, backstabbing the finger that fed him.”

Kwacham accused el-Rufai of habitually name-dropping prominent Nigerians and attacking individuals without respect, likening him to “a dying horse wagging his legs to kick around” and a “wounded lion roaring with a toothless mouth that cannot hurt even a fly.”

Highlighting what he described as el-Rufai’s psychological distress from exclusion from the government, Kwacham reminded the former governor of his silence on banditry during his own tenure, when operations were rampant nationwide.

“You and I know that the activities of bandits were degraded to a minimal level in this regime,” he said, contrasting it with the previous administration under which el-Rufai served, when “banditry activities soared high and almost turned the country to a stateless state.”

Kwacham defended Ribadu, asserting that the National Security Adviser is “too big to reply” to such “noise makers” and has no need to engage with el-Rufai’s attention-seeking antics. “One thing I know, Ribadu is too big to respond to any issues raised by el-Rufai. Let him be told that Nigerians know who he is: nothing else than a serial liar and a traitor. We are ready for him, to reply him word for word and expose his shoddy deals.”

The APC chieftain praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration as one “in the interest of Nigerian masses,” vowing to mobilize support for the president’s uncontestable 2027 re-election bid due to its achievements.

He warned el-Rufai to cease undue attacks, adding, “He is my match mate and can face me with facts and figures.”

Ribadu’s office has already rebutted el-Rufai’s claims, calling them “baseless, false, and deeply insulting” to security forces who have eliminated key bandit leaders in Kaduna and beyond through kinetic operations and community engagements.

el-Rufai, in turn, doubled down on his allegations, accusing ONSA of politicizing security and mismanaging terrorism in the North. This exchange has intensified intra-party rivalries within the APC, with groups like the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity labeling el-Rufai’s statements as “politically motivated” and a “national security liability.”

As the 2027 elections loom, Kwacham’s fiery defense underscores deepening divisions in northern politics, with accusations of bandit sponsorship threatening to overshadow the party’s unity efforts.

Political observers warn that such public feuds could undermine the APC’s security narrative ahead of the polls.