Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (rtd), former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has opened up about his terrifying two-month captivity in the hands of terrorists, describing it as a battle between life and death.
Recounting his ordeal, the 72-year-old revealed that he and fellow abductees were kept deep inside a dense forest, surrounded by towering hills and prowling wild animals.
“We were kept with dangerous animals—hyenas, snakes, and scorpions. Just a day before I was released, we saw a hyena circling us, looking for food. And what kind of food? Us, human beings,” he recalled.
Tsiga further detailed how the terrorists exploited high-ranking captives for survival.
“Whenever troops attacked, they used us as human shields, hoping we’d be hit by airstrikes. They wanted us to be killed by the military aircraft. But God is merciful.”
In one particularly horrifying incident, he narrowly escaped death after an unexploded rocket was deliberately placed where he slept.
“During an airstrike, a rocket was fired at them, but it didn’t explode. They carried the unexploded rocket and placed it where I was lying, hiding it so that if I touched it, it would detonate. Yet, by God’s mercy, I survived.”
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Tsiga also revealed the kidnappers’ motive, saying they believed military officers had access to government funds.
“They thought those of us in uniform were given money by the government. They couldn’t break into my house, so they went to my home in Kaduna and used explosives to destroy it, including the gates.”
Speaking on behalf of 18 other rescued victims, he expressed gratitude to National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the Chief of Defence Staff, emphasizing that security is a shared responsibility.
“We must not assume the government can do it all alone. The NSA and the CDS are not magicians. They need timely and accurate intelligence to act upon.”
His chilling testimony underscores the brutal reality of Nigeria’s growing insecurity crisis and the resilience of those who endure its horrors.