By Peter Effiom
Nearly two weeks after he and his wife were kidnapped in Katsina State, retired Major General Rabe Abubakar passed away in the hands of armed bandits. From 2015 until 2017, he was the Defence Headquarters’ spokesperson and Director of Defence Information.
According to the Katsina State Government, he passed away while in the custody of bandits due to complications brought on by diabetes and hypertension.
The government said that the situation culminated in that catastrophe despite the government’s and other security services’ unrelenting and coordinated efforts to ensure his safe release.
On May 30, armed men allegedly ambushed and kidnapped him and his wife, Amina Abubakar, when they were traveling to a wedding on the Marabar Musawa-Kafinsoli road in Katsina State’s Matazu Local Government Area.
According to reports, the kidnappers sought the return of confiscated livestock and the release of certain arrested associates.
A video of Abubakar and his wife pleading with President Bola Tinubu, Governor Dikko Radda, and other authorities to help their release was made public by the captors on June 6. He died before a rescue could be carried out, despite coordinated efforts to save them.
Residents were reassured by Governor Dikko Radda that his administration’s determination to fight banditry and safeguard lives and property will be upheld. Radda described the retired general’s passing as a sad occasion for Katsina State and the nation.
Mr. Abubakar is a native of Katsina State’s Batsari Local Government Area.
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