Gen. Tsiga still in captivity after 29 days

It is exactly 29 days since bandits invaded Tsiga town in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, abducting a retired army Brigadier General, Maharazu Tsiga, and some other persons Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was abducted, alongside nine other residents, on one fateful Wednesday. The kidnappers had contacted […]

It is exactly 29 days since bandits invaded Tsiga town in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, abducting a retired army Brigadier General, Maharazu Tsiga, and some other persons

Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was abducted, alongside nine other residents, on one fateful Wednesday.

The kidnappers had contacted the family of the abducted general to demand a ransom of N250m.

A source close to the family told our reporter that negotiations were still ongoing with the view to rescuing the retired army general.

“It is very pathetic that the general and all other captives are still held by their abductors in this holy month of Ramadan.
“I can assure you that negotiations are going on, and our prayers are with him and all other victims who are in captivity,” the source said.

Another source, also close to the family, expressed fear about speaking with the media, saying with the kind of misinformation making the rounds regarding the general’s abduction, it had become difficult for them to say anything to the members of the press.

He, however, corroborated the other source by saying that negotiations were ongoing to secure the general’s release.

Meanwhile, the police command in Katsina State said efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted students of Federal University, Dutsin-Ma.

Spokesperson for the police command in Katsina State, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said the police, in synergy with other security agencies, were working to rescue the students and arrest the culprits.

On his part, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi, said although the attackers were yet to make contact for negotiation about the release of the students, there were efforts to rescue them.

He said the students who were kidnapped were living in an area marked unsafe by the school authorities.

“There are areas that we consider to be the routes of the terrorists, and we have been warning our students against renting a place in such areas.

“We have never had any incidents, either on our campus or in areas we are able to provide security to, but some of our students, who did not heed our advice and warnings, rented places in such unsafe areas,” he said.

In the early hours of Sunday, gunmen suspected to be bandits abducted four students of the Federal University Dutsinma to an unknown destination.