Nigerian Military Speaks on Ransom Coordination, Payment by Army Generals for Ex-NYSC DG’s Release

Nigerian Military Speaks on Ransom Coordination, Payment by Army Generals for Ex-NYSC DG’s Release

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering metro.

FCT, Abuja - The defence headquarters (DHQ) has reacted to the claim that military generals contributed money to secure the release of Maharazu Tsiga, a former director-general (DG) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Legit.ng recalls that Tsiga, a retired brigadier general, was held captive for 56 days.

Tukur Gusau, the director of defence information, in a statement on Monday, April 7, said the claims by another retired brigadier general, Ismaila Abdullahi, had contradicted the military’s efforts.

Premium Times, on Tuesday, April 8, noted the military's reaction.

Gusau, a brigadier general, did not deny that the retired generals indeed raised the ransom to free their colleague. He, however, said the narrative downplayed the efforts made by troops of Operation Fansan Yamma by embarking on a Search and Rescue Operation to secure the release of the one-time NYSC boss.

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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the National Counter Terrorism Center handed over Tsiga to the national security adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja.

Tsiga was abducted alongside other individuals on February 5, 2025, from his hometown of Tisga in Bakori local government area (LGA) of Katsina state. He, however, regained freedom on Wednesday, April 2, after spending 56 days in captivity.

During the handover, NSA Ribadu commended the efforts of the security forces and intelligence agencies involved in the rescue operation that freed Tsiga and 18 other kidnap victims.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ridwan Adeola avatar

Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.