FIJ found conflicting reports on the current status of Maharazu Tsiga, former Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as he entered his fourth week in the custody of kidnappers.Some media publications reported Tsiga’s release on Friday, stating that he regained freedom after spending 22 days in captivity. However, some other reports claimed otherwise.For instance, a Channels TV’s report stated that the former NYSC DG was freed on Friday, but Daily Trust‘s publication on Saturday morning said the man was still in captivity.FIJ found the authorities unresponsive within the 24-hour time frame of the Tsiga rumours.READ ALSO: Police, Army Mute 2 Weeks After Retired General Tsiga’s AbductionAbubakar Sadiq Aliyu, the Katsina police spokesperson who had previously told FIJ about a manhunt to secure Tsiga’s release, could not be reached for comments on Saturday.FIJ called Aliyu five times between 9 am and 4 pm on Saturday to know if Tsiga had been released or rescued, but the calls went unanswered. He had not responded to FIJ’s text message or returned the calls at press time.Conflicting reports on Tsiga’s abduction and release.Conflicting reportsKidnappers abducted the retired army general in the first week of February after they surrounded his Katsina home.After Tsiga had spent a week in captivity, the kidnappers demanded a N250 million ransom to release him.READ ALSO: Kidnappers Want N250m Ransom for Abducted Ex-NYSC DGWitnesses also suggested that notorious bandit leader Babaro, responsible for attacks on various communities in Katsina, had a hand in Tsiga’s abduction.Neither the police spokesperson in Katsina nor Onyema Nwachukwu, the army spokesperson, responded to FIJ’s request for comments on Saturday.At press time, the police command in Katsina had not issued a press release to announce the release of Tsiga or to debunk unconfirmed reports about it.The post Authorities Let Rumours Fly as Kidnapped General Spends 4th Week in Captivity appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.