Former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga, who survived weeks in the hands of bandits, has alleged that terrorist groups operating in northern Nigeria may be receiving support from individuals within government positions. He questioned the effectiveness of negotiations in ending the country's worsening insecurity.
Press Conference on Colleague's Death
Tsiga was among retired military generals who spoke at a press conference regarding the death of their colleague, late retired General Rabe Abubakar, who died while in terrorist captivity. The retired general, kidnapped from his hometown in Katsina State in February last year, shared his experience with journalists, stating that his time in captivity convinced him that criminal gangs thrive due to networks of informants, suppliers, and collaborators outside the forests.
Negotiations vs. Military Pressure
When asked whether negotiations should remain part of Nigeria's counter-banditry strategy, Tsiga argued that security challenges cannot be resolved through dialogue with terrorists. He said, "If I understand your question from the negotiating aspect, whether it is important or not important, security is a collective responsibility. It depends on who you are negotiating with and how committed and dedicated we are in making that negotiation."
Drawing from his captivity experience, the retired general emphasized that "bandits are not invincible and can be defeated through sustained military pressure." He added, "The way I look at these people, especially while I was in captivity, I am telling you that no matter what and no matter the arrangement of negotiation, we are not going to have it easy with these bandits. We must follow them aggressively. We should not forget one thing: these people are human beings like us. They fear death. When we were in captivity, they feared death. They feared anybody who would come and challenge them, fight them and finish them."
Tsiga noted that if negotiations remove fear and the government faces the bandits squarely, the problem can be resolved. He stressed that the challenge extends beyond the bandits themselves, insisting that attention must also focus on those allegedly providing information and logistical support to criminal groups.
Allegations of Government Complicity
The former NYSC boss recounted an encounter while in captivity. He said, "One of the days I was there around 2 a.m., this issue came up. Somebody called and said, 'Please, Cachala, are you ready to buy 10 cartons of ammunition?' He said, 'Yes, but let me finish with one old man.' When he finished talking and was talking to me, I asked him jokingly, 'Put me inside this business now.' He told me, 'Who are you? You are a retired general. You don't have office. We are talking to people who are in office now.'"
Tsiga said the statement left him disturbed, raising questions about the sources of support available to armed groups. He alleged, "It is not only the locals. Some of them are in government offices. Comparatively, if you look at it, who are you negotiating with? You will negotiate with the bandits, but the suppliers are there. They will not allow that because they are after their pockets. They are not after the lives and properties of individuals. They are after their pockets."
The retired general further questioned the source of ammunition used by criminal groups, asking, "The ammunition is from where? It is from the government. So who are you negotiating with? We should not be fooling ourselves. I sincerely advise that we must aggressively move forward to make sure these people understand that we can do it."
Collective Responsibility in Security
Responding to another question on whether Nigeria was losing the war against banditry, Tsiga emphasized that security agencies alone cannot win without community support. He said, "When I say we move, don't forget my earlier statement that security is a collective responsibility. If the army can do it and society cannot assist the army to do it, is it not a failure? Absolutely."
According to him, many communities surrender to small groups of armed men due to fear, stressing that "by the time these people, two or three of them, enter a village, they will drive 1,000 people away." He added, "If these 1,000 or even 500 can face these two people, I think they can finish them. You charge through like the army said. Those who are to be alive will be alive. Those who are not to be alive, fine. But by the time you get them, get the guns and make sure you kill them, and you have additional guns to protect yourself, I think we have removed fear."
