A former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd.), and his wife have reportedly been abducted by suspected bandits in Katsina State.
According to SaharaReporters the retired military officer and his wife were travelling to Katsina on Saturday when armed men intercepted their vehicle and whisked them away along the Matazu Local Government Area of the state.
Sources familiar with the incident disclosed that the attack occurred within the Matazu axis, an area that has witnessed recurring banditry attacks in recent years.
A source said the retired general’s driver escaped from the scene despite sustaining a gunshot wound during the attack.
“Maj. Gen. R. Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, was kidnapped together with his wife on his way to Katsina today. He was kidnapped along Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. His driver escaped with a gunshot injury,” the source said.
The source further revealed that the vehicle involved in the incident, a red Peugeot 504 reportedly assigned to the retired officer, was later recovered and taken to the Matazu Divisional Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The senior officer’s Peugeot 504, red in colour, is parked at the Matazu Division of the Nigeria Police Force,” the source added.
Meanwhile, a message said to have been circulated among security and military personnel and reportedly forwarded by retired Brigadier General Sagir Musa also alerted relevant authorities to the incident.
The message read: “Maj Gen R Abubakar former Dir Def Info was kidnapped together with his wife on his way to Katsina today. He was kidnapped along Matazu LGA of KTS. His driver escaped with gunshot injury. The Snr offr Peugeot 504 Red in color is parked at Matazu Div NPF. Plse pass to authorities as appropriate.”
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Katsina State Police Command nor military authorities had issued an official statement confirming or denying the reported abduction.
Katsina remains one of the states most affected by banditry in Nigeria’s North-West region, with armed groups frequently carrying out kidnappings, killings and attacks on communities despite ongoing security operations.
