Last week’s reported release of the abducted former Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig. Gen. Maharazu Tsiga, after 56 days in his abductors’ den, should offer the leadership of President Bola Tinubu the opportunity to reconsider the government’s approach to addressing the state of insecurity in the country.
For so long, we have witnessed the daily collapse of security in the country, leaving the people in a constant state of fear, trepidation, and despondency.
This isn’t a matter for political debate but one that calls for great concern and intervention even if we have to declare a state of emergency on security. This continued decline into a state of anarchy is indeed troubling. Imagine an army general just picked off the streets by bandits?
Tsiga was abducted on February 5, 2025, in his hometown of Tsiga, the Bokori Local Government Area of Katsina State, along with nine others. The bandits we were told also killed one person during the attack.
The report of his release, much as it calls for celebration, also should give any average Nigerian who is not as fortunate and well-heeled as Tsiga great reasons for concern.
According to an associate of Tsiga’s, but for the community-driven effort through a WhatsApp platform named “TSIGA”, created on February 9, four days after, to solicit donations after the bandits had demanded N400 million ransom, he probably would have been killed.
According to the report, the response was overwhelming on the platform with over 300 members, made up of retired military officers, serving military officers, ambassadors, businessmen and civilians from all segments of the society. While the exact amount raised from the exercise was not released for security reasons, there was also speculation that the retired general was only released after a ransom of N180 million was paid.
However, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had said that no ransom was paid to facilitate the release of Retired Brigadier Tsiga.
In a statement, DHQ spokesman, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said troops engaged both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to secure the release of the former Director General of the NYSC.
Whereas given our previous experience, one is inclined to believe that some ransom was paid because the government has never been known to admit payment of ransom even as relatives of victims would always insist that payments were made. During the last administration of Muhammadu Buhari, the state of insecurity became so bad that governments at all levels were known to have gone into the forests to pay bandits money, rather than seek to rout them from their hideout. These bandits are not interested in discussing the tribe or religion of their targets, all they want is huge ransom and they have been getting them. It’s, however, sad to note that the fight against these evil men has been hampered by sentiments around ethnicity, religion and others. Until we are ready to fight the scourge dispassionately and without sentiment, we will never win it.
The point is even if the military authorities want us to believe no ransom was paid, let them tell us how he was rescued and if arrests were made. Where are the suspects, do they operate alone or do they have sponsors and who are these likely sponsors?
Finally, if Gen Tsiga were an everyday ordinary Nigerian, would the military have ensured his safety and secured his release?
As for President Tinubu, we need not remind him that the success or otherwise of his reign would be judged mainly by his ability to secure the people. We are not interested in the tribe or religious persuasions of our defence chiefs all we want is performance and results.
Just last week also, news about the death of APC leader Rauf Adeniji who died in the hands of kidnappers only came to light when his cousin, who was rescued along with other captives by security forces on 7 April, disclosed it.
Adeniji, a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who served as the party’s Director of Administration, was kidnapped on 26 January along with his cousin, Akinropo Adesiyan, and his wife, Esther Adesiyan in their home in Kubwa, Bwari Council Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Mr Adesiyan, a Deputy Director at the National Assembly Commission, has narrated his ordeals at the hands of the kidnappers, including being chained for 32 days and the killing of his wife in his presence.
We must be prepared to give our military all the support they need and the president must make sure that all boots on ground are well motivated. This fight must also be devoid of the antics of the political elite who have continued to exploit the fault lines of the nation for their selfish desires. President Tinubu should also impress upon the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike to concentrate more on securing the people of Abuja. Demolishing houses and building beautiful roads and bridges are not the primary duty of the government. Securing the lives and property of the people, trump them all.
If an army general can just be picked up by kidnappers, I shudder to imagine the fate of the ordinary Nigerian. It then means the common man now only has God to look up to for safety. Where would an ordinary Nigerian get the privilege which Brig-Gen Tsiga enjoyed in raising hundreds of millions in a few days?
Indeed and in deed we are in trouble!
