Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar Dies in Bandits’ Captivity in Katsina

The Government of Katsina State, Northern Nigeria has confirmed the death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information in the Nigerian Army, while in the hands of armed bandits.

According to a statement issued on June 13, 2026, by Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Dr Nasiru Mu’azu, the retired general died from complications of diabetes and hypertension during his captivity. Despite sustained efforts by the state government and security agencies to secure his release, he passed away before he could be freed.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda described the incident as a “dark moment” and a “monumental loss” to the general’s family, Katsina State, and the nation. He extended condolences to the bereaved family and called for stronger collaboration between state and federal forces to tackle banditry.

Abubakar was abducted on May 30, 2026, along with his wife Hajiya Amina Abubakar and their driver while travelling in a Peugeot saloon car near Zakin Baure village in Matazu Local Government Area. The driver sustained a gunshot wound but escaped. The couple was taken into a forest hideout. A video released by the captors showed them making demands for the release of detained associates.

The retired officer served as the Nigerian Army’s chief spokesperson from 2015 to 2017 during major counter-insurgency operations. His death adds to a troubling list of attacks on retired senior military officers in the northwest. It is the second known abduction of a retired general in Katsina in recent times, following that of Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga in 2025.