Human rights advocate, Mahdi Shehu, has taken aim at former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, calling him out for double standards in his stance on security matters.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s appearance on Channels Television last week, Shehu argued that the ex-governor had no moral ground to condemn Governor Uba Sani and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for allegedly paying off bandits.
He reminded the public that El-Rufai himself once defended similar tactics.
Shehu pointed to a Vanguard publication dated the 3rd of December, 2016, which reported that El-Rufai’s government had reached out to armed herders outside Nigeria and offered them compensation to stop assaults in Kaduna.
“We took specific measures by sending teams to trace these individuals in countries like Cameroon and Niger, informing them that there is a new governor who is Fulani, willing to pay compensation for lives lost, and urging them to stop the killings,” Mahdi quoted El-Rufai.
The activist said El-Rufai could not disown policies he openly endorsed in the past. He pressed further: “Is this not the same El-Rufai who once admitted to paying compensation and gifts to armed groups, yet now condemns others for using material inducement as part of security management simply because he is no longer in the corridors of power?”
Shehu also reminded El-Rufai of the state of insecurity during his years in government.
“Has El-Rufai forgotten that between 2015 and 2023, under Buhari’s government where he was a key figure, insecurity and reckless security spending became the order of the day?
Has he forgotten that under his former boss, insecurity reached its peak despite trillions being spent in the name of fighting insurgency?”
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For Shehu, El-Rufai’s latest media outing showed the familiar pattern of former officials who adopt a new tone once out of office. He described the Channels Television session as revealing more about El-Rufai’s temperament than his arguments.
“Throughout the entire interview with Seun, El-Rufai’s remarks were marked by anger, bitterness, and vindictiveness, reflecting serious lapses in judgment. It would appear that even the passage of time will not heal Nasiru’s self inflicting deep seated lacerations.”
He insisted that if today’s leaders are guilty of the practices El-Rufai condemned, then El-Rufai himself carries heavier blame.
“If Nuhu Ribadu and Governor Uba Sani are guilty of what El-Rufai accuses them of, then El-Rufai is far guiltier, given his more than 20 years in the corridors of power. We should wait until Uba Sani completes his tenure and then compare his record with El-Rufai’s to know who the real villain is.”
Shehu ended his remarks with a reminder from scripture:
“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”