Bandit Leader Contacts Abducted Major General Rabe’s Family, Demands Prisoner Swap

A notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, has established communication with relatives of the abducted retired senior military officer, Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari, demanding the release of his gang members in exchange for the general’s freedom.

Sources told Daily Trust that the bandit kingpin, who operates in parts of Katsina State, opened a line of communication with the family on Monday morning.

The retired Major General and his wife were abducted on Saturday along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area. Witnesses said gunmen emerged from hiding, blocked the road and opened fire on the vehicle before abducting the officer and his wife into a nearby forest.

A senior local government official in Batsari, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that he personally spoke with the abducted officer during the conversation facilitated by the bandit leader.

Major General Rabe Abubakar served as Director of Public Relations at the Defence Headquarters and later as Chief of Training and Operations at the Army Headquarters before retirement.

Sources: Daily Trust