Days after retired Maj. Gen. Abubakar Rabe died in bandits’ custody, his widow, Hajiya Amina Abubakar, remains held by her captors. Family, friends and Katsina residents have expressed growing concern over her fate and what they describe as Nigeria’s failure to protect its citizens.
Gen. Rabe and Hajiya Amina were abducted on May 30 along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu LGA while traveling to a wedding. The Defence Headquarters confirmed the retired general died in captivity two weeks later.
The Katsina State Government said he died from complications of diabetes and hypertension. But family members dispute this. His son, Isyaku Rabe Abubakar, told Deutsche Welle the general had no history of diabetes or high blood pressure. He said a snake bite, seen in the last video released by captors, may have caused his death, though “only God knows the actual cause.”
Gen. Rabe was buried Saturday in Katsina according to Islamic rites. Senior officers, government officials and residents attended the funeral prayer.
In the captors’ video before his death, the retired general appealed for peace and said the abductors were open to dialogue. They initially demanded ransom, a family source said, but changed demands after learning his rank, asking instead for detained members to be freed and seized livestock returned.
His children say the ordeal exposed gaps in national security.
“When we heard the news of our father’s death, we were shocked and heartbroken because we had hoped they would be rescued alive,” daughter Khadija Rabe Abubakar told _Daily Trust_. “We buried our father without our mother by our side. That pain is indescribable. Every day she remains in captivity deepens our trauma.”
She appealed to security agencies: “We are not asking for sympathy. We are asking for responsibility. She must be rescued alive, and she must be rescued now.”
Son Isyaku added: “Our father devoted his entire adult life to defending Nigeria. It is painful and ironic that after all those sacrifices, the same country could not save him.”
Katsina community leader Alhaji Halle Tudun Yanshanu said rescuing Hajiya Amina would be “a fitting way to honour the late general’s service.” A family member confirmed a ransom negotiation was attempted, with ₦6m agreed and ₦1m paid before demands shifted.
Retired Maj. Gen. Umar I. Mohammed, a friend of 38 years, described Rabe as “highly professional and dedicated.” He urged bandits to release the widow unconditionally and called on government to show it can still protect citizens. He also cited manpower, drones and surveillance gaps, plus political interference in military recruitment, as challenges weakening the fight against banditry.
On Sunday, a Defence Headquarters delegation led by Maj. Gen. I.M. Abdullahi visited the family to offer condolences on behalf of Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede. The team declined comment on security operations.
Reports also claimed Gen. Rabe’s body was found in sacks by Karaduwa village and recovered by a Katsina State ambulance. Security forces later raided the area but found no evidence, a source said.
Gen. Rabe’s death has reignited public anger over insecurity and questions about annual defence spending. For his family, the priority remains one thing: bringing Hajiya Amina home alive.
