Collaborator in government who helped bandits in the forest —Former NYSC Director General, Tsiga

Former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga has said that bandit groups operating across the northern part of Nigeria may be receiving support from individuals occupying positions in government.

Tsiga, who was once a kidnapping victim, also questioned the effectiveness of negotiations in ending the country’s worsening insecurity.

Tsiga was part of a group of retired military Generals who spoke at a press conference about the death of their colleague, the late retired General Rabe Abubakar who died in a terrorist den.

The retired general, who spent weeks in captivity after being abducted from his hometown in Katsina State last February, told Journalists while answering questions in an interview that his experience in the hands of bandits convinced him that criminal gangs continue to thrive because of the network of informants, suppliers and collaborators operating outside the forest.

Speaking about whether negotiations should remain part of his country’s strategy to eradicate banditry, Tsiga said security challenges cannot be overcome through dialogue with terrorists.

“If I understand your question from the negotiation aspect, whether it is important or not important, security is a shared responsibility. It depends on who you are negotiating with and how much commitment and dedication we have in carrying out the negotiations,” he said.

However, based on his experience while being held hostage, this retired general believes that “bandits are not invincible and can be defeated through continued military pressure.

“The way I look at these people, especially when I was in captivity, I tell you that no matter what and no matter the negotiation arrangements, we will not have an easy time dealing with these bandits. We must follow them aggressively. We must not forget one thing: these people are human beings like us. They are afraid of death. When we were in captivity, they were afraid of death. They were afraid of anyone coming and challenging them, fighting them and finishing them off”, he said.

“If instead of negotiating, we remove those fears and face them squarely, as the general said in his speech, I think we will solve it,” he added.

Tsiga noted that the challenges are not only limited to the bandits themselves, he also emphasized that attention must also be focused on those who are suspected of providing information and logistical support to criminal groups.

Emphasizing that security is a shared responsibility, what is important is not just the bandit, there are people around him to help, there is the reporter,” he then asked, “if you negotiate and the reporter still has money in his pocket, what is there?”

The former NYSC boss then narrated the encounter which he claimed took place while he was being held captive by the bandits.

According to him, one night at around 02.00, a conversation took place involving the suspected supplier and the bandit leader.

“One day when I was there around 2 a.m., this problem came up. Someone called and said, ‘Please, Cachala, are you ready to buy 10 cartons of ammunition?’

“He said, ‘Yeah, but let me finish with an old man. When he finished talking and was talking to me, I asked him jokingly, ‘Put me into this business now.’

“He said to me, ‘Who are you? You’re a retired general. You don’t have a position. We’re talking to people who are in office now.”

Tsiga said the remarks disturbed him and raised questions about the sources of support available to armed groups.

“It’s not just local residents. There are those in government offices. If you look, who are you negotiating with? You will negotiate with bandits, but the suppliers are there. They won’t allow that because they are targeting their pockets,” he added.

“They are not after people’s lives and property. They are after their pockets,” he said.

The retired general further questioned the source of ammunition used by criminal groups terrorizing communities across the country.

“Where does the ammunition come from? From the government. So who do you negotiate with? We can’t fool ourselves. I sincerely suggest we have to move forward aggressively to make sure these people understand that we can do it,” he said.