Retired Brigadier General Maharazu Ismail Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has publicly accused certain individuals within government circles of colluding with terrorists, citing firsthand evidence he claims to have witnessed during his captivity in early 2025.
In a widely circulated video on X, Tsiga detailed a disturbing phone conversation he overheard around 2 a.m. while being held hostage. According to the retired general, a caller he believed was linked to government officials contacted the notorious terrorist leader known as Kachalla (also spelled Cachalla) to inquire whether he was ready to purchase 10 cartons of ammunition.
“The terrorist leader responded that he was interested but wanted to ‘finish dealing with an old man’ first — a remark I understood to be a reference to myself,” Tsiga recounted.
Tsiga was abducted on February 5, 2025, from his residence in Tsiga village, Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, along with several other residents. One person was killed in the attack. He spent approximately 56 days in captivity before his release in early April 2025 following ransom negotiations.
The retired officer made the explosive allegations during a June 2026 press interaction with other retired military officers, held in the wake of the death of a colleague who was killed while in terrorist captivity.
Tsiga argued that the persistence of terrorism in northern Nigeria stems not only from armed groups in the forests but also from extensive support networks of informants, suppliers, and collaborators operating outside the camps — including, he alleged, individuals in government positions.
“Negotiations with terrorists alone will not end the violence unless the supply chains for arms and ammunition are dismantled,” he said. Tsiga maintained that the government possesses the capacity to defeat the terrorists if it targets those enabling their operations. He questioned the source of the “thousands of rounds of ammunition” the groups allegedly expend daily.
The allegations come amid ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s northwest, where banditry and terrorist activities have continued to claim lives and displace communities. No immediate response from government officials to Tsiga’s claims has been reported.