The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Thursday, handed over Brig.-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga (retd.), Ambassador Gideon Yohanna, and 17 other kidnap victims to their families in Abuja.
Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was kidnapped on February 5, 2025, in his hometown of Tsiga, in Bakori local government area of Katsina State, alongside nine others, while Ambassador Yohanna, a former Nigeria’s Deputy Chief of Mission to Pretoria, South Africa, was kidnapped in January in Zango Kataf local government area of Kaduna State.
Speaking during the handing-over of the kidnap victims at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a unit under the Office of NSA, Ribadu said the successful rescue of the victims was due to the efforts of the military and other security forces.
The NSA said: “We have done a couple of handovers in the past as a result of the work of our armed 666, other security services, we are able to rescue and bring back.
“Now we have done it again. This time, it involves very powerful and important personalities who served this country and who did well for all of us. General Tsiga was in charge of our NYSC at a time, and he did a good job. Our Ambassador Yohanna is also here, and a couple of others. Bad things happen to good people. That’s how life is all about. But evil will not prevail. It’s a matter of time.
“We thank God for their lives and we are grateful to those who made their rescue possible.”
He assured that the operations to rescue all kidnap victims from captivity was an ongoing effort by the present administration. He added that the military and other security forces will not relent in their efforts to rescue all victims.
He added: “This is an ongoing and continuous effort. We are doing it quite silently. We will go after the bad ones. This is not the end of the story. These people have been rescued, but those perpetrators of this evil will pay for it dearly. The work we are doing today is a work in progress. We are not there yet.
“But significant achievements have been made under the leadership of our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Little by little, very good steps are taken. One year, 10 months and we have literally changed the whole narrative. Now the bad people are feeling it. And we will not relent. We are not going to be tired. We will not stop until we see the end of this.
“Not many people know what is going on. We lose lives in the course of doing this work. Many members of our security forces have paid the supreme price. May their gentle souls rest in peace. Those were the people who sacrificed their lives in the course of doing what you have seen now.”
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, also assured that the military would ensure that all kidnap victims across the country would be reunited with their families.
The CDS said: “I want to especially thank the NSA for providing the platform for the Armed Forces and other security agencies to work properly in synergy in ensuring that Nigeria is safe and secure. And this comes especially from the mandate of Mr. President, who has provided the needed resources, vision, and leadership for us to work well.”
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