Following the abduction of former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga, from his hometown, Wednesday night by suspected bandits, fear has gripped the community causing many to desert the town.

Fear-stricken members of the communities in the area were said to have been terrified with General Tsiga’s abduction that they have deserted their homes

A credible source from the community who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that between Thursday and Friday, over 400 residents have deserted the area. The source said, “between yesterday and today (i.e. between Thursday and Friday), 400 people have already deserted the town. General Tsiga is a big man in the town whom we all look up to. And if a general we all look up to could be abducted like that, how much more ordinary people. So, the people are terrified and that’s why they are fleeing the community”.

One of the locals who left the community also said, “the reason we have been able to live in this community despite the banditry is because of General Tsiga and now he has been kidnapped. So, who are we to stay back? Whoever chooses to say back, does that at his or her own peril”.

On Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m, the bandits stormed Tsiga town in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina state and abducted an unspecified number of people including General Tsiga who served as NYSC Director General from January 2009 to September 2011. The bandits, who were armed with dangerous weapons were said to have attacked the town around 12 a.m and started shooting sporadically before they forcefully gained entrance into General Tsiga’s residence.

According to a source from the area, the bandits arrived in large numbers riding on motorcycles. The source said seven persons were abducted from within Tsiga town and two others from surrounding rural areas. According to a report, two residents of the community were killed while three others were injured during the invasion.

Confirming the report, spokesperson of Katsina State Police Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq said the ex-Director General of the National Youth Service Corps was abducted in Tsiga, alongside five others. He noted that “efforts are being intensified in collaboration with sister security agencies and all relevant stakeholders to ensure they are rescued unhurt”.

Meanwhile, reactions have trailed the abduction of the former NYSC Director General.

The Secretary of the Katsina State Elders Forum, Alhaji Aliyu Sani Mohammed has expressed deep concern on the abduction of the retired General. He said, “It’s very unfortunate. Katsina state governor, Malam Dikko Radda is so concerned about insecurity which is why he floated the community security outfit and he is doing all he can to see an end to this insurgency But despite all his efforts and commitment, terrorists are still attacking and kidnapping people. Tsiga is a very nice gentleman who decided to stay with his people in order to render assistance to the needy. Unfortunately, these wicked people targeted him. Come to think of it, how many people of his calibre have gone to their villages to stay with them. Honestly, this is very sad. I am sure the government is on top of the situation and very soon, he will regain his freedom”.

In a similar vein, the Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Katsina State, Mr. AbdulRahman Abdullahi, reiterated his call for increased federal government intervention in the state’s security crisis. His words: “It is unfortunate that this crisis has been allowed to linger. We are concerned about the lives of the people as a result of this menace. While the state government is trying,we have not seen the much action required from the federal level to address this problem. This is because the federal government controls the army, police, and all other security agencies that have the power and wherewithal to address this problem once and for all. This crisis can be tamed within two to three weeks, the government should therefore do the needful to enable the people to live in peace, allow economic activities to thrive, and displaced communities to return home”.

On the issue of intelligence reports that are often being ignored, AbdulRahaman drew attention to the systemic problem of security forces consistently reacting to threats rather than proactively preventing them. He said, “the system needs to be proactive and not reactive.

There is intelligence almost everywhere. People have decided to organize themselves and track the movement of these bandits right from the time they leave their enclaves.” He then gave instances where communities tracked bandit movements and relayed this information to security forces hours before attacks, yet responses are often inadequate.

“I can tell you that in almost all the attacks these bandits will carry out, there are prior reports before they reach their targeted destinations and these reports are communicated to the appropriate security forces. This is not peculiar to General Tsiga’s issue alone. I’m telling you that out of 100 attacks that you are likely to hear about, 90 to 95% of them are being reported even before it happens.

“I’m saying this out of experience. I know what is happening in my community. We have a platform where information is shared and there are times when these bandits will start moving, let us say as from 7 p.m and it will be communicated and eventually they will attack their targeted community where they are headed around 11 p.m. I think four hours’ notice is good enough time for the relevant authorities to take measures and avert the attacks.

But unfortunately, even the hands of the security personnel are tight because they have not been given enough weapons, materials and resources needed to fight these bandits,” he lamented.

AbdulRahaman stressed that the focus should not just be on repelling attacks but on proactively taking this fight to bandits’ enclaves. “If we can take proactive measures, then we can completely wipe away this problem within no time,” he said.

Ex-Katsina Security Adviser calls for more community vigilance

In his own reaction, Mallam Ibrahim Ahmed-Katsina, former Special Adviser on Security to former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari and a former Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), called for increased community involvement in combating insecurity.

Ahmed-Katsina in a phone interview described the abduction of General Tsiga as “an unfortunate incident” and stressed the need for collective action before it consumes everybody.

“It is sad and unfortunate. The community should decide and deliberate. Everybody should sit up and do the needful and also support the security forces and government to fight this menace; otherwise, everybody will be a victim,” he said.

Addressing reports of ignored intelligence about bandit gatherings prior to attacks, including the recent abduction of General Tsiga and a previous incident involving kidnapped health workers in Kankara Local Government Area of the state, Ahmed-Katsina acknowledged the challenge. “You see, the government alone cannot do it. The security forces cannot reach out to everybody everywhere. But with community support, we can overcome these challenges,” he stated.

The security expert stressed the need for communities to take ownership of their security, citing the Katsina Governor’s support for community watch initiatives. “The governor has opened a forum for community watch. Let members of the community volunteer to assist the government,” he urged. Ahmed-Katsina pointed out the limited number of police and military personnel compared to the state’s population, arguing that communities cannot rely solely on external forces for protection.

“How many policemen and military do we have? But you see, members of the community are everywhere. We need to wake up and face the challenges squarely,” he said.

When asked if he was advocating for communities to take up arms, the former Director of DSS said, “What we are saying is that there should be community policing efforts, there should be community vigilance.” He contrasted this with unregulated armed self-defense, emphasizing that community policing is regulated and controlled by the government. “If the community takes up arms, it is something that should be regulated, but community policing is something that the government has control over, and it allows the community to take care of its own security. That is the essence,” he said.

Ahmed-Katsina urged communities to liaise with security agents, receive training, and focus on collaborative security efforts. “I’m sure this problem can be overcome if we do the needful. Everybody should sit up and be on board. May God rescue him (Tsiga),” he prayed. (Saturday Vanguard)