Suspected bandits on Saturday abducted Rabe Abubakar, a retired major-general and former director of defence information, alongside his wife in Katsina State.
The couple was travelling through the state when gunmen reportedly ambushed their vehicle and whisked them away to an undisclosed location.
In response to the incident, Michael Onoja, the director of defence media operations at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), told the BBC that efforts are underway to rescue the couple and apprehend those responsible for the abduction. However, the Katsina police command had yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of the time of the report.
Despite repeated security operations aimed at restoring peace and stability, Katsina remains one of the states most affected by ongoing banditry and kidnapping. The region has seen a continuous wave of violence, including an incident in March where three soldiers were killed during a gun battle with bandits in the Danmusa Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
This latest high-profile abduction follows a similar incident in February 2025, when Maharazu Tsiga, another retired major general and former director-general of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was kidnapped in Bakori LGA. Tsiga ultimately spent 56 days in captivity before regaining his freedom.
