The Downfall of Another General

Major General Rabe Abubakar, former military spokesman, dies in captivity

Since January 2026, Nigeria has seen a resurgence of violent attacks by bandits and Boko Haram insurgents. The violence has become bolder and the casualty count higher, with incidents ranging from the abduction of school children and teachers in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, to the sacking of communities in Kwara, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger States. The country remains under constant threat, and no area is immune to these deadly marauders. The latest victim added to this grim list is retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former military spokesman who was abducted with his wife in Katsina State and confirmed dead after about two weeks of captivity. His wife has been rescued.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased general. For 35 years, Abubakar served the Nigerian Army with distinction. He rose to prominence as Director of Defence Information, becoming the calm and measured voice of the military during some of its most turbulent periods. He briefed the nation during counter‑insurgency operations, defended the Armed Forces’ integrity before local and international media, and worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between soldiers and civilians. Officers and soldiers who served under him recall a disciplined, intellectual leader with uncommon loyalty to the system.

Abubakar was abducted on a quiet road in the state he once helped secure and waited for a rescue that never came. For 14 harrowing days, his family, colleagues and the nation watched the clock. The end came not through a daring special‑forces operation but at the hands of the criminals who held him hostage. That a Nigerian Army general, once responsible for coordinating military communications across three services, could be abducted and die in captivity without consequence is a stark indictment of the nation’s current state. Nigerians are now faced with the uncomfortable question: If an army general is not safe, who else is?

Abubakar’s death is not an isolated tragedy. It is a grim reminder of a country hemorrhaging under repeated assaults and exposes the scale of a crisis that touches every Nigerian household. Insecurity has moved from the fringes to the centre of Nigerian life. Farmers have abandoned ancestral lands in Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Zamfara, Kwara and Benue States. Highways across the Northwest, Northeast and Northcentral have become unsafe, as have schools and places of worship in rural communities. Bandits roam forests on motorcycles, brandishing automatic weapons and large‑scale ammunition with confidence. Fear has become a national currency, impoverishing all of us.

Defeating this threat requires a more pragmatic approach. Authorities must prioritise intelligence‑led operations, improve inter‑agency coordination, and invest in real‑time surveillance and community policing. The ungoverned spaces where these criminals breed must be reclaimed and dominated, while political will must be matched by military firepower so that no terrain within Nigeria is too difficult to access. The tragic loss of Abubakar should jolt the people to demand more than the usual grief so that no other patriot dies waiting for a rescue that never comes. May the gentle soul of Major General Rabe Abubakar rest in peace.