Retired Brigadier General Maharazu Ismail Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has alleged that individuals within government circles are collaborating with terrorist groups, claiming he witnessed evidence of the alleged relationship while in captivity.
Speaking during a press interaction alongside other retired military officers in June 2026, Tsiga said his experience as a hostage convinced him that the insurgents receive support from influential collaborators.
A video of his remarks has since circulated widely on social media platform X.
According to the retired general, he overheard a telephone conversation around 2 a.m. during his captivity in which a caller he believed to be connected to government circles contacted a notorious terrorist commander identified as Kachalla to ask whether he was interested in purchasing 10 cartons of ammunition.
Tsiga claimed the terrorist leader responded that he was willing to buy the ammunition but first wanted to “finish dealing with an old man”—a statement the retired officer said he interpreted as a reference to himself.
The former NYSC boss was abducted on February 5, 2025, when armed men attacked his residence in Tsiga village, Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State. Several other residents were also kidnapped during the raid, while one person was reportedly killed.
He spent 56 days in captivity before regaining his freedom in early April 2025 after ransom negotiations.
Reflecting on the security situation, Tsiga argued that dialogue and ransom negotiations alone would not bring an end to terrorism unless authorities dismantle the networks supplying weapons and ammunition to criminal groups.
He maintained that Nigeria possesses the military capability to defeat the insurgents but questioned how terrorist groups continue to obtain large quantities of ammunition, urging security agencies to identify and prosecute those allegedly facilitating the supply of arms.
Tsiga’s claims have not been independently verified, and the Federal Government and security agencies had not publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
