By Muhammad Mamman
Human rights activist Mahdi Shehu has accused former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai of hypocrisy following his recent remarks on Nigeria’s security strategies.
Responding to El-Rufai’s interview, Shehu described it as ironic for the ex-governor to criticise Kaduna State governor Uba Sani and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for allegedly making payments to bandits, when he himself had once admitted to adopting similar measures.
Citing a past report, Shehu recalled El-Rufai’s admission that his administration had traced armed herders across neighbouring countries and offered compensation to curb attacks in Kaduna.
“We took specific measures by dispatching teams to Cameroon and Niger, informing them that a new governor, who is Fulani, was prepared to pay compensation for lives lost, urging them to cease the killings,” Shehu quoted El-Rufai as saying.
According to Shehu, El-Rufai cannot now disown a strategy he once defended and implemented.
“Is this not the same El-Rufai who admitted to offering compensation and gifts to armed groups, yet now condemns others for doing the same simply because he is no longer in office?” Shehu asked.
He further criticised El-Rufai’s record under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration between 2015 and 2023, when insecurity escalated despite massive government spending.
“Has he forgotten that insecurity peaked during this period, even as trillions were poured into the fight against insurgency?” Shehu added.
Shehu also described El-Rufai’s interview as an example of how former officials often shift positions once out of power, noting that his comments were laced with “anger, bitterness, and vindictiveness,” which he said reflected poor judgement.
“If Nuhu Ribadu and Governor Uba Sani are guilty of what El-Rufai accuses them of, then he is far guiltier, given his more than two decades in government. We should wait until Uba Sani completes his tenure before comparing his record with El-Rufai’s to determine who the real villain is,” Shehu said.
He concluded with a pointed reminder drawn from scripture: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
