The former Director General of the National Youths Service Corps, Brig.-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga Rtd. said he was able to come out alive from kidnappers’ den by the help and mercies of God.
Tsiga said this on Thursday, when he and 18 other victims were reunited with their families by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in Abuja.
Tsiga regained his freedom after spending 56 days in captivity having been abducted from his hometown Tsiga, in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State on February 5, alongside nine other residents.
He said that his safe return was the kind of situation that was most important to be celebrated.
He said that apart from the danger being faced from their abductors, they were also faced with danger of being hurt by wild animals on the mountain that they were kept.
“The day before yesterday, on the mountain I was staying, unexpectedly, we just looked around; we saw hyenas parading around us to get their own food. And which kind of food? We, the human beings.
“Those of us that have experienced that place, we always stay with snakes, scorpions.
“And one bad experience, particularly for those of us whom they knew our rank, whenever they were being attacked, sincerely speaking, they brought us out, so that the aircraft could hit us.
“When a rocket was sent to us, it did not explode. They carried that rocket and kept it where I am sleeping so that immediately I come and touch it, it will explode.
“And that is why I told us, God is merciful,” he said.
The former NYSC Director General also revealed that the nature of food they were being fed with was another threat to his health.
According to him, the terrorists said that those of them that were in uniform, the government is always putting money for them to keep.
The retired army general also revealed that the terrorists only feared military aircraft, adding that they did not even fear God but military aircraft.
Tsiga called on all Nigerians to join hands to fight and defeat insecurity in the country, saying that security should be seen as a collective responsibility.
“We should not sit down and believe that the government can do it alone. We must do it ourselves.
“So we thank Almighty God for giving us this opportunity to live again,” he said.
Ribadu, on Thursday, handed over Tsiga, Ambassador Gideon Yohanna, and 17 kidnap victims to their families.
Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps was kidnapped on February 5, 2025, in his hometown of Tsiga, Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, alongside nine others, while Ambassador Yohanna, a former Deputy Chief of Mission to Pictorial, South Africa, was kidnapped in January in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Tsiga, Yohanna and 17 others were rescued recently through joint military operations, after they had spent months in captivity.
Speaking during the handing over of the kidnap victims at National Counter Terrorism Centre, a unit under the NSA office, Ribadu said successful rescue of the victims was due to the efforts of the military and other security forces.
He said, “We have done a couple of hand overs in the past as a result of the work of our armed forces and other security services, we are able to rescue and bring back.
“Now we have done it again. This time, it involves very powerful and important personalities who serve this country and who did well for all of us. General Tsiga was in charge of our NYSC at one time, and he did a good job. Our Ambassador Yohanna is also here and a couple of others. Bad things happen to good people. That’s how life is all about. But evil will not prevail. It’s a matter of time.
“We thank God for their lives and we are grateful to those who made their rescue possible.”
The NSA assured that operations to rescue all kidnap victims from captivity was a going effort by the present administration. He added that the military and other security forces will not relent in their efforts to rescue all victims.
He said, “This is an ongoing and continuous effort. We are doing it quite silently. We will go after the bad ones. This is not the end of the story. These people have been rescued, but those perpetrators of this evil will pay for it, dearly. The work we are doing today is a work in progress. We are not there yet.
“But significant achievements have been made under the leadership of our President Bola Tinubu. Very good steps are taken. One year, ten months and we have literally changed the whole narrative. Now the bad people are feeling it. And we will not relent. We are not going to be tired. We will not stop until we see the end of this.
“Not many people know what is going on. We lose lives in the course of doing this work. Many members of our security forces have paid the supreme price. May their gentle souls rest in peace. Those were the people who have sacrificed their lives in the course of doing what you have seen now.”
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, also assured that the military would ensure that all kidnap victims across the country and reunite them with their families.
He said, “I want to especially thank the NSA for providing the platform for the Armed Forces and other security agencies to work properly in synergy in ensuring that Nigeria is safe and secure. And this comes especially from the mandate of Mr. President, who has provided the needed resources, vision, and leadership for us to work well.
“As we celebrate those of them that are here today, I want to assure Nigeria that we will not sleep until every Nigerian is free in this country. And as a warning to all those who don’t mean us well, that we will not allow them to sleep well. We will go after them wherever they are, and we can see that we are getting results. One year, ten months, Nigeria is getting better.
“It’s not going to be automatic, but together as Nigerians we’ll take this challenge as a Nigerian challenge, and we must all put our hands together to ensure that we have success. We should support Mr. President, support and the security agencies. Anybody who sees anything going wrong, please report to us. We want every Nigerian to feel free in his own country to enjoy the benefits of being Nigerians.
