Explosive Twist: DHQ Breaks Silence On El-Rufai’s Claim Of Paying Terrorists

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has firmly dismissed allegations that it pays monthly allowances or delivers food supplies to terrorists and bandits under the guise of non-kinetic operations against insurgency.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, the Chief of Defence Operations, Major General Emeka Onumajuru, stressed that the Nigerian Armed Forces do not and will never fund criminal groups, noting that past experiences have proven such methods counterproductive.

Onumajuru, however, explained that the military operates a Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) programme designed to rehabilitate repentant ex-combatants. He clarified that this initiative, carried out under Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe (North-East) and Zamfara (North-West), only admits individuals who have undergone thorough profiling and are found not culpable in terrorism.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria do not support paying money to criminals. Our DDR programme, coordinated with the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the National Security Adviser, is for those who genuinely surrender their weapons and show remorse. Those found culpable face the law,” he said.

According to him, the DDR framework ensures that individuals who were forcibly conscripted or coerced into criminality are properly screened and given a pathway back into society, while hardened offenders are prosecuted.

The clarification comes in response to recent claims by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who alleged that both the federal and Kaduna State governments were funding terrorists by paying them stipends and providing food. The Kaduna State Government and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) had earlier refuted the same claim.

General Onumajuru also highlighted the importance of border communities actively collaborating with security forces, stressing that their sense of ownership and responsibility is critical to strengthening Nigeria’s borders.