Nigeria's Top Security Adviser Calls Terrorists Brothers While Christians Are Slaughtered and Ransomed

Nigeria's Security Chief Called "Brother of Terrorists" as Ransom Scandal and Dialogue Policy Spark National Outrage

Nigeria's National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu is facing a storm of criticism from citizens, lawmakers, and civil society groups who accuse him of being dangerously sympathetic to the very terrorists he was appointed to defeat.

The controversy centers on Ribadu's repeated public statements referring to bandits and Boko Haram fighters as "our brothers and sisters" who simply need to be reintegrated into society. In widely circulated video footage, the NSA described killings, kidnappings, and violence across northern Nigeria as "family affairs," calling for dialogue and understanding with armed groups.

They are terrorists who want peace and are our brothers.

The backlash intensified following an AFP investigation published in February 2026, which revealed that four intelligence sources confirmed a massive ransom was paid to Boko Haram militants to secure the release of up to 230 pupils and staff abducted from St. Mary's Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, Niger State, in November 2025. Sources estimated the payment at approximately 40 million naira per person, totaling roughly $7 million USD. Abuja has denied the claims, but many Nigerians believe the reports.

Paying ransom to terrorists directly violates Nigeria's 2022 amendment to the Terrorism Prevention Act, which imposes at least 15 years' imprisonment on anyone, including officials, who pays, facilitates, or negotiates ransoms with terrorists.

Former Kaduna Governor Nasir El Rufai, who accused Ribadu in September 2025 of sponsoring bandits with billions, now sees vindication in the leaks. El Rufai has claimed access to intercepted phone conversations of the NSA, prompting the Presidency to launch a formal investigation.

The Middle Belt Forum, through spokesman Luka Binniyat, condemned the NSA for denying any territorial control by armed groups, contradicting well documented realities on the ground. On February 21, 2026, over 50 Nigerians were killed in Tungan Dutse village in Zamfara State, with women abducted and homes razed, met by what critics called "deafening silence" from the NSA's office.

Critics also point to reports that Miyetti Allah, a Fulani interest group, threatened to withdraw electoral support if its "members" were arrested or killed, raising questions about whether security decisions are being driven by political calculations rather than the protection of Nigerian lives.

Ribadu's "Safe Corridors" Policy Under Fire as Christian Communities Bear the Brunt of Terror Violence

Ribadu's "Safe Corridors" rehabilitation program for surrendered terrorists has drawn particular scorn from Christian communities in the Middle Belt and northeast, who say repentant Boko Haram fighters receive housing, education, and stipends while Christian internally displaced persons languish in camps with no government support.

U.S. congressional hearings have also scrutinized Nigeria's security posture, with the House Appropriations Committee examining religious persecution and security threats in the country. The Tinubu administration's approach of Western funded ex fighter reintegration programs has been characterized by some analysts as "enabling terrorism."

President Tinubu publicly backed Ribadu in February 2026, stating terrorists and bandits would be defeated through the NSA's efforts. But for millions of Nigerians, especially Christians in the north and Middle Belt who face daily threats of violence, those words ring hollow while the government's top security official calls their tormentors "brothers."

The Crusader's Opinion

When Nigeria's own National Security Adviser calls terrorists "our brothers," the persecuted Church has every right to ask: whose brother? Not ours. These are the men who burned St. Mary's School, who dragged children screaming from their classrooms, who slaughter Christians in their villages while the world looks away. And now we learn the government may have handed them $7 million in cash for the privilege of getting those children back alive. That is not security policy. That is surrender with a receipt. If a Christian official in any Muslim majority nation called jihadists "brothers" and paid them millions, the international community would rightly call it state sponsored terrorism. Why is the standard different for Nigeria?

Take Action

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Nigeria's Middle Belt and northeast who face daily violence from Boko Haram and armed bandits with little government protection.
• Contact your elected representatives and urge them to pressure the Nigerian government to enforce its own anti ransom laws and prioritize the safety of Christian communities. Find your U.S. representative at house.gov.
• Support displaced Nigerian Christians through The Shepherd's Shield, which provides direct aid to persecuted believers.
• Donate to Open Doors USA, which ranks Nigeria among the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians and provides frontline support.
• Support Voice of the Martyrs, which delivers Bibles, training, and emergency relief to Nigerian Christians under siege.
• Share this story on social media and demand accountability. The world's silence emboldens those who persecute the Church.