Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, accusing him of politicizing the security challenges in Northern Nigeria and misplacing blame for the growing menace of terrorism and banditry.
In a statement released Monday through his verified X pag, Omokri emphasized that acts of terror cannot thrive without the backing or tolerance of local communities, stressing that the perpetrators are either from within affected regions or neighboring countries.
“Terror, banditry, and extremism can only thrive where there is local support,” Omokri said. “If the local communities are totally against it, it cannot survive, talk more of thriving.”
He dismissed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu or Southerners are behind the ongoing violence in the North, describing such claims as unfounded and divisive.
“This is not President Tinubu’s doing. It is not Southerners who are unleashing mayhem in Northern states. The people involved are locals or those from neighboring nations,” he added.
Omokri also referenced a previous accusation by el-Rufai during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, which he labeled as false. According to him, the former Kaduna governor wrongly accused President Jonathan and then-Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, of colluding in acts of terror.
“If Nasir el-Rufai and his current coalition truly care about the North, they should rally against the root causes—poverty, terrorism, banditry, and insecurity,” Omokri stated.
He further criticized what he described as double standards, noting that the same individuals who supported former President Muhammadu Buhari during Nigeria’s security decline are now mobilizing against Tinubu despite measurable improvements.
“These were the same people who hailed Buhari even when Nigeria ranked third in the Global Terrorism Index, behind only Somalia and Afghanistan. War-torn Syria was even safer than us at that time,” Omokri pointed out. “Now that Nigeria has improved to seventh on the index, they want to unseat Tinubu. How does that make sense?” Full Details
The comments come amidst increasing political maneuverings in the North, as some leaders form new coalitions purportedly to challenge the current administration in the buildup to the next election cycle.
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