Bandits abducted retired Major General Rabe Abubakar and his wife on Saturday along the Matazu axis of Katsina State. The couple was travelling to Katsina for a wedding when their vehicle was ambushed by attackers who opened fire. The driver sustained gunshot injuries but escaped. A video circulating online shows the couple's red Peugeot 504 parked at Matazu Divisional Police Headquarters with visible bullet holes. Security sources confirmed the abduction and are investigating. This is the second kidnapping of a retired general in Katsina in recent times. In 2025, Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga, former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, was kidnapped and held for 56 days before being released. Katsina continues to face ongoing security threats from armed groups. On Friday, bandits attacked Kiliya village in Dutsinma Local Government Area. The attack occurred shortly after Juma'at prayers during Eid-el-Kabir celebrations. At least 16 people were killed. A resident who spoke anonymously said the gunmen stormed the village, ordered people to stop, and opened fire. He survived by hiding in a nearby house. "After the prayers, we were sitting together when the bandits suddenly arrived. We ran into a house and hid. We heard screams and gunshots everywhere. When it stopped, we came out and found about 16 bodies, including some of my relatives," he said. The attack forced over 400 residents to flee to Bagagadi and Radda villages. Some victims were reportedly killed on their farms, with bodies later found in surrounding areas. Authorities have not confirmed the total death toll.
Rabe Abubakar was abducted while travelling to a wedding, days after another retired general was freed following a 56-day captivity. The military's public role in security has not prevented repeated attacks on its own retired officers in Katsina. When even former top defence officials are not safe on highways, civilian residents in the region face even greater peril. The recurrence of such abductions suggests a persistent failure to secure key routes despite ongoing operations.
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