Bandits Abduct Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, Wife in Katsina Ambush

Bandits have abducted a former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari (rtd), and his wife, Hajiya Amina Abubakar, in Katsina State, Daily Trust reports.

The retired senior military officer was travelling to Katsina on Saturday alongside his wife and their driver, Abdullahi Sa’idu, when their vehicle was ambushed along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area.

The attack occurred near Zakin Baure village, where witnesses said heavily armed men suddenly emerged from hiding, blocked the road and opened fire on the vehicle, forcing it to a halt before abducting the retired officer and his wife into a nearby forest.

The driver was shot in the hand during the attack but was later spared by the gunmen.

“They shot him in the hand and abandoned him, but took the General and his wife away. He was bleeding seriously but managed to get help and has since been treated,” a family source said.

Security operatives later recovered the victims’ vehicle and moved it to the Matazu Divisional Police Headquarters as investigations and rescue operations intensified.

A witness who requested anonymity due to security concerns said the attack appeared to be a well-planned ambush. “The gunmen blocked the road and waited for vehicles. Everything happened very fast. They were many and heavily armed. People around could not intervene because of fear,” he said.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed the attack and abduction. The Commissioner of Police, CP Ali Umar Fage, visited the scene and directed the immediate deployment of additional personnel and operational assets for search-and-rescue efforts.

This marks the second known attack involving a retired military general in Katsina State since the kidnapping of retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga in 2025, who spent 56 days in captivity.

Sources: Daily Trust, BBC Pidgin