Bandits Fear Death, Not God, Says Ex-NYSC DG Tsiga After 56-Day Captivity

Bandits Fear Death, Not God, Says Ex-NYSC DG Tsiga After 56-Day Captivity

• Retired General exposes insider collaborators, human shield tactics, and the terrifying weakness of criminal groups terrorizing Nigeria’s North-West

KADUNA, Nigeria – After surviving 56 harrowing days in the dens of armed bandits, former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga (retd.), has delivered a sobering message to Nigerians and security chiefs alike: bandits are not invincible, they fear death, and endless negotiations will never bring an end to the terrorism and banditry plaguing the nation.

The retired military officer, who was abducted from his hometown in Tsiga, Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, on February 5, 2025, alongside nine other residents, and released on April 1, 2025, spoke on Thursday in Kaduna during a press briefing organised by friends, associates, and colleagues of the late retired Major-General Abubakar Rabe. His testimony offered rare, unfiltered insight into the psychology, operations, and vulnerabilities of the criminal networks that have turned Nigeria’s North-West into a theatre of terror.

In his most striking remarks, Tsiga insisted that the criminals terrorizing communities are not supernatural beings but ordinary humans who can be effectively confronted. He declared that these people are human beings like everyone else, that they fear death and fear being confronted, and that if the security forces remove that fear through decisive action and face them squarely, they will achieve more meaningful results than endless negotiations. The former NYSC boss questioned the logic of negotiating with armed groups while failing to dismantle the wider infrastructure of informants, financiers, and logistics suppliers that enable their survival. He argued that a more aggressive and coordinated military strategy is urgently required to dismantle their operations and restore lasting peace.

Tsiga raised serious concerns about individuals and groups allegedly providing support to criminal organisations from within communities and public institutions. He alleged that during his captivity, he overheard bandit leaders discussing the procurement of ammunition from persons with access to government resources, suggesting that insider collaboration remains a major obstacle to peace. He asked who exactly the nation is negotiating with, pointing out that while authorities may negotiate with the bandits, those supplying them and profiting from the conflict will not allow peace to prevail because they are more interested in financial gain than the lives and property of innocent citizens. The retired general stressed that the fight against insecurity must also target individuals who provide support, intelligence, and logistics to criminal gangs. According to him, such collaborators are often embedded within communities and even public institutions, making them a far more dangerous threat than the foot soldiers wielding rifles in the forests.

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Tsiga offered a chilling assessment of the bandits’ psychology, revealing that they operate without any moral or religious restraint but tremble at the sound of fighter jets. He stated that they do not fear God, that they tell their captives not to call God for them but just to give them money, yet immediately they see aircraft, even their cows start running. This revelation has been widely interpreted as validation of the military’s ongoing aerial campaigns in the North-West, which have forced bandits to adopt desperate defensive measures – including using human shields. Security analysts have pointed to Tsiga’s testimony as confirmation that Operation Whirl Punch and other air operations are inflicting significant damage on criminal networks, destroying camps, and eliminating key leaders.

Perhaps the most disturbing revelation from Tsiga’s testimony was how the bandits exploited high-profile captives during military operations. He disclosed that whenever Nigerian Air Force aircraft approached the camp, the abductors forced hostages – especially those they knew held military rank – into the open as human shields. He recounted that whenever they were being attacked, sincerely speaking, the bandits brought them out so that the aircraft could target them, wanting them to be hit, but that God is merciful. In one particularly chilling episode, after a rocket fired at the bandits’ camp failed to explode, his captors placed the unexploded device beside where he slept, hoping he would trigger it. He recalled that they carried that rocket to where he was sleeping and hid it there so that immediately he woke up and touched it, it would explode, but God is merciful.

The retired senior military officer described conditions that tested the limits of human endurance. The abductors fed their captives only once a week – a meager meal of guinea corn – and subjected them to regular beatings. For a 72-year-old hypertensive patient like Tsiga, the excessive salt in the food compounded his suffering. He recounted that they were kept with dangerous animals – hyenas, snakes, and scorpions – and that a day before he was released, while on the mountain where he was staying, they suddenly noticed a hyena circling them, looking for food, with the only food available being the human captives themselves. The psychological torture was equally brutal, with Tsiga recalling how bandits constantly threatened to kill them, creating an atmosphere of perpetual fear and uncertainty.

The retired general further urged communities not to succumb to fear, noting that criminal groups often rely on intimidation to dominate larger populations. He observed that when only a few armed men can force hundreds or even thousands of people to flee, it shows the need for collective action, and that communities must work together with security agencies to deny criminals the space to operate. Tsiga emphasised that if the Army is doing its part and society fails to support those efforts, then everyone has failed, insisting that security is a collective responsibility and that only a united front involving security agencies, government institutions, and citizens can successfully confront banditry, terrorism, and their sponsors. He called on Nigerians to provide timely and credible intelligence to security forces, emphasizing that the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Defence Staff are not magicians and cannot act without reliable information from the public.

The bandits initially demanded ₦400 million for Tsiga’s release. A coordinated fundraising effort, organised through a WhatsApp platform named “TSIGA,” brought together over 300 members – including retired and serving military officers, university lecturers, ambassadors, and business people. Brigadier General Ismaila Abdullahi (retd.), who coordinated the effort, revealed that donations flowed in like August Rains after Tsiga’s bank account details were shared. While conflicting figures regarding the actual ransom amount have been reported – some sources claiming ₦60 million, others suggesting three times that amount – the ordeal highlighted the broader crisis of kidnapping in Nigeria. A 2024 National Bureau of Statistics report estimated that Nigerians paid approximately ₦2.2 trillion in ransom over a 12-month period, with an average of ₦2.67 million paid per kidnapping incident.

Security analysts have pointed to Tsiga’s testimony as validation of the military’s ongoing aerial campaigns in the North-West. According to Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi, a research fellow at the Centre for Crisis Communication, the general’s account reignited public confidence in the military’s relentless campaign against banditry. Operations such as Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East and Operation Whirl Punch in the North-West have sustained pressure on criminal networks, destroying camps and eliminating key leaders. Despite occasional incidents of collateral damage, the effectiveness of airstrikes has forced bandits to adopt desperate defensive measures – including using human shields. However, Tsiga’s warning about insider collaborators suggests that military action alone will not suffice, and that the networks of informants, financiers, and logistics suppliers that sustain banditry must also be dismantled through intelligence-driven operations and community engagement.

Now reunited with his family, Tsiga reflected on his release with profound gratitude while urging Nigerians to remain resilient in the fight against insecurity. He recalled that when they brought him out, he asked himself if he was still a human being. He called on his military colleagues to remain steadfast, describing the security challenge as one that will prepare the nation for a stronger future, noting that they were there 20 years ago doing the same thing and that it is a challenge, but a very good challenge that will prepare their future. As communities across Nigeria grapple with escalating insecurity, Tsiga’s message is clear: the military is making progress, bandits are terrified of air power, and citizens must play their part in providing intelligence to end the menace.

Bandits Fear Death, Not God, Says Ex-NYSC DG Tsiga After 56-Day Captivity