Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said that his administration has never paid any money to bandits. Instead, he said the state government has focused on helping victims of insecurity, including building houses for them.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Thursday, Sani addressed allegations that he was negotiating with or compensating bandits. He described the claims as false and against his principles.
“A man who has fought for justice and the poor can’t turn around to sit with bandits and give them money,” the governor said.
He explained that insecurity in the North-West is mainly caused by poverty and economic hardship, unlike Boko Haram in the North-East, which is based on ideology.
“When I came into office, some people accused me of trying to pay bandits. But what I did was launch a programme to support the victims instead. I gave them homes. I haven’t given one naira to any bandit,” Sani said.
Governor Sani urged Nigerians to look at the root causes of insecurity and stressed the need for both security operations and economic solutions to address the crisis in the region.