More details have emerged on how suspected bandits abducted retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, and his wife in Katsina State.
The former military spokesman and his wife were reportedly travelling in Katsina on Saturday when armed men intercepted their vehicle around the Matazu axis and whisked them away.
Vanguard reported that the incident happened along the Katsina–Matazu road while the retired senior military officer was travelling with his wife.
According to the report, armed men stopped their vehicle in Matazu Local Government Area and took the couple to an unknown destination, while the driver escaped with a bullet injury.
Premium Times, citing the Katsina State Police Command, reported that the attack happened at about 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
The spokesperson of the command, Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed that suspected armed bandits intercepted a Peugeot saloon vehicle, opened fire and abducted two occupants, while the driver escaped.
“What happened was that today at about 11:00, suspected armed bandits intercepted a Peugeot 406 saloon vehicle, opened fire and abducted two occupants while the driver escaped,” the police spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The police said a search-and-rescue operation had been launched immediately after the incident.
Aliyu said the Katsina State Commissioner of Police visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and deployed additional tactical units and resources to support the rescue effort.
“Currently, our operatives, including the VCRU, are on a search-and-rescue operation, combing the surrounding bushes. Further developments will be communicated,” he added.
A security source in Matazu also told Premium Times that the attack occurred near Aduwa village, before Karaduwa.
The source said the gunmen opened fire on the victims’ vehicle, injuring the driver, who managed to escape.
The injured driver was reportedly taken first to a primary healthcare facility in Matazu before being transferred to Katsina for further treatment.
Daily Trust also reported that Abubakar was travelling to Katsina for a wedding when the gunmen struck in broad daylight.
The report said the retired general and his wife were whisked into the forest, while their driver escaped with a gunshot injury.
According to Daily Trust, a video circulating on social media showed the vehicle used by the victims parked inside the Matazu Divisional Police Headquarters.
The newspaper said its reporter spotted at least two gunshot holes on the body of a red Peugeot 504 car.
Premium Times also said photographs and video footage it reviewed showed an abandoned vehicle with apparent bullet damage and personal belongings still inside, although it added that it could not independently verify when the footage was recorded.
The abduction was earlier disclosed by former senator Babafemi Ojudu, who cited information from retired army spokesperson, Brigadier General Sagir Musa.
Ojudu quoted Musa as saying that Abubakar and his wife were kidnapped while travelling to Katsina, and that their driver escaped despite sustaining gunshot injuries.
Abubakar served as Director of Defence Information, the media arm of the Defence Headquarters, between 2015 and 2017.
During his tenure, he was one of the military’s most visible spokespersons and frequently briefed Nigerians on security operations across the country.
His abduction has raised fresh concern over the security situation in Katsina and the wider North-West, where armed attacks and kidnappings have continued despite military and police operations.
Daily Trust reported that this is the second known attack involving a retired general in Katsina since the abduction of Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga in 2025.
Tsiga, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, reportedly spent 56 days in captivity.
The latest abduction came barely a day after bandits reportedly attacked Kiliya village in Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing at least 16 people.
The attack was said to have occurred after residents had concluded Juma’at prayers and gathered for Eid-el-Kabir festivities.
More than 400 villagers reportedly fled to neighbouring communities, including Bagagadi and Radda, following the attack.
Several others were said to be unaccounted for, raising fears that the casualty figure could rise.
Katsina has remained one of the states worst hit by banditry in the North-West, with rural communities and travellers repeatedly targeted by armed groups.
The abduction of Abubakar and his wife has further deepened public anxiety, especially because the victim once served as one of the leading voices of Nigeria’s military during a difficult period in the country’s security history.
As of the time of filing this report, security operatives were still combing the surrounding bushes in an effort to rescue the retired general and his wife.
