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They fear jets, not God – Gen. Tsiga
From Molly Kilete, Abuja
Former NYSC DG Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga has shared his harrowing two-month ordeal with terrorists. He said they used him and other kidnapped victims as human shields during military attacks.
Rescued by soldiers on Tuesday, Tsiga credited God for keeping him alive. The 72-year-old retiree spoke in Abuja after being handed over to his family by National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa, alongside 18 other victims.
He said the terrorists fed them millet and salt once a day, worsening his health as a hypertensive patient. They treated him and other ex-military captives like animals. “They don’t fear God; they only fear military aircraft,” he revealed.
Tsiga has been in the hospital since his rescue due to the trauma. He thanked President Bola Tinubu, the NSA, CDS, and security forces for fighting insecurity. He explained how terrorists broke into his Kaduna home with explosives after failing to find cash they thought he had as a military officer.
He said, “We were kept with dangerous animals—hyenas, snakes, and scorpions. A day before I was released, just the day before yesterday, while on the mountain where I was staying, we suddenly noticed a hyena circling us, looking for food. And what kind of food? Us, human beings.”
“Throughout our time there, we constantly lived with snakes and scorpions. But the most terrifying experience was how they treated those of us whose ranks they knew. Whenever troops attacked them, they would bring us out and use us as human shields, hoping to get us killed by the military strikes. They wanted us to be hit by the aircraft. But God is merciful,” he added.
He recalled a close call: “During an airstrike, a rocket was fired at the terrorists, but it didn’t explode. Instead, they carried the unexploded rocket and placed it where I was sleeping, hiding it in a way that if I touched it, it would detonate. Yet, by God’s mercy, I survived.”
Tsiga said the kidnappers targeted him, believing military officers get government money. “They believe that those of us in uniform are given money by the government. That’s why they tried to break into my house. They couldn’t, so they went to my home in Kaduna and used explosives to destroy it, including the gates,” he said.
Speaking for the rescued group, he praised Ribadu and Musa. He stressed that security needs everyone’s help.
“We must not assume that the government can do it all alone. Everyone must contribute by providing intelligence and information. The NSA and the CDS are not magicians; they need timely and accurate reports to act upon,” he urged.