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Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, has reportedly died while in captivity after being abducted by bandits in Katsina State.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu Danmusa, confirmed the development on Saturday.
Danmusa said, “security authorities had received information indicating that the retired military officer was killed by his abductors” .
However, he noted that security operatives are yet to recover his body as efforts are ongoing to locate the remains.
Major General Abubakar and his wife were abducted by armed bandits along the Matazu axis of Katsina State on May 30 while travelling through the area.
His abduction had sparked widespread concern, with the Katsina State Government and security agencies previously expressing optimism that he would be rescued alive.
Further details are expected as security operations continue.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, rtd, has stated why terrorism, banditry and other forms of insecurity in Nigeria seem to be difficult to deal with.
Speaking at the June 12 edition of The Platform, organised by The Covenant Nation in Lagos, General Musa said the problem persists in the country partly because criminal groups receive support from individuals within local communities.
“Banditry, insurgency, terrorism. Why does it seem so difficult to deal with it? Perhaps, we have the people that are also encouraging and supporting these things from happening because the terrorists, the bandits, survive around the people.
Read Also: ‘Stop Making Peace Deals With Bandits’ – Senate Warns States
“There are several stories of how people have aided them in giving them food, giving them water, and giving them information, and these are the things that keep them going, and we call this the oxygen
“Who is funding them? Who are those giving them information? Who are those giving them the logistics that keep them going? It is still the people,” he asked.
According to him, modern security threats are increasingly difficult to combat because criminal elements often operate among the civilian population, making it harder for security agencies to identify and isolate them.
The former Chief of Defense Staff pointed out that the armed forces and other security agencies cannot defeat insecurity without citizens’ cooperation, urging Nigerians to report suspicious activities and support ongoing security efforts.
The Nigerian Senate has called on state governments to stop making peace agreements with terrorists and armed bandits, saying such deals rarely bring lasting peace and could end up encouraging more crime.
The lawmakers also asked the Nigeria Police Force and the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre to identify and arrest bandits who openly use social media platforms, especially TikTok.
The Senate said many of them display large amounts of cash believed to be proceeds of criminal activities.
