A former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga has said that bandit groups operating across parts of northern Nigeria may be receiving support from individuals occupying positions in government.
Tsiga, who had one time been a kidnap victim himself also questioned the effectiveness of negotiations in ending the country’s worsening insecurity.
Tsiga was part of retired military Generals who spoke at a press conference on the death of their colleague, late retired General Rabe Abubakar who died in terrorists den.
The retired general, who himself spent weeks in captivity after being kidnapped from his hometown in Katsina State last year February, told Journalists while responding to questions in an interview that his experience in the hands of bandits convinced him that the criminal gangs continue to thrive because of networks of informants, suppliers and collaborators operating outside the forests.
Speaking on whether negotiations should remain part of the country’s counter-banditry strategy, Tsiga said security challenges cannot be addressed through dialogue with terrorists.
“If I understand your question from the negotiating aspect, whether it is important or not important, security is a collective responsibility. It depends on who you are negotiating with and how committed and dedicated we are in making that negotiation,” he said.
