Suspected bandits have abducted retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former director of defence information, and his wife along the Matazu axis of Katsina State, according to sources familiar with the incident. The retired defence spokesman and his wife were traveling to Katsina on Saturday when armed men intercepted their vehicle in Matazu Local Government Area and took them to an unknown location.
The abduction happened on a route that has seen repeated attacks by criminal gangs, even as security operations continue across the state. The driver of the retired officer’s vehicle escaped but sustained a gunshot wound during the attack.
A retired officer and his wife seized on a dangerous road
Sources said the vehicle carrying Major General Abubakar, a red Peugeot 504, was later recovered and taken to the Matazu Divisional Police Headquarters. “The senior officer’s Peugeot 504, red in colour, is parked at the Matazu Division of the Nigeria Police Force,” one source told reporters.
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The attack triggered alerts within security circles. A message circulated among military and security personnel — reportedly forwarded by retired Brigadier General Sagir Musa — urged immediate action and provided details of the incident, including the recovery of the vehicle and the driver’s injury.
As of Sunday evening, neither the Katsina State Police Command nor military authorities had issued any official statement confirming the abduction or describing ongoing rescue efforts.
Banditry in Nigeria’s North-West keeps getting bolder
The latest kidnapping draws attention to the worsening security situation in Katsina, one of the states hardest hit by banditry in Nigeria‘s North-West region. Despite sustained military offensives, armed groups continue to carry out kidnappings, attacks on travelers, and raids on rural communities.
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Security analysts say the reported abduction of a retired senior military officer shows the growing audacity of criminal gangs operating in parts of the region. They argue that more intense security measures are needed to curb the menace. The driver of the retired officer, who escaped with a bullet wound, has not been named. This incident highlights how the road to corruption and insecurity remains a persistent challenge.
Authorities are expected to provide updates as investigations and rescue efforts unfold. But so far, silence from official channels has left families and the public in a waiting game — one that has become painfully familiar across the North-West. The red Peugeot 504 sits parked at the police station, a quiet piece of evidence in a crime that may take days or weeks to resolve.
The abduction of a former military spokesman, someone who once briefed the nation on security matters, is a reminder that the crisis does not spare anyone — not even those who know the system from inside.