Kidnapped general, wife send distress message in video

A retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, Abubakar Rabe, and his wife have appealed to authorities to secure their release after a video showing them in captivity surfaced online nearly a week after their abduction in Katsina State.

The four-minute video, reportedly released by the kidnappers, showed the couple relaying the demands of their captors while appealing for intervention from government authorities.

In the footage, Rabe’s wife, Amina Abubakar, said the abductors were demanding the release of three detained individuals identified as Sani, Aminu and Nasiru. She also stated that the kidnappers were seeking the return of livestock allegedly seized from them.

According to her, two of the individuals were arrested in Jikamshi, while the third was arrested in Kano.

She appealed to the Katsina State Government and leaders of five local government areas to help facilitate the fulfilment of the demands and secure their freedom.

Rabe, who spoke briefly in the video, called for peace and dialogue, saying the abductors had expressed a willingness to coexist peacefully if their concerns were addressed.

No ransom demand was mentioned in the video.

The retired army officer and his wife were kidnapped last Saturday while travelling to Katsina alongside their driver, Abdullahi Sa’idu.

The incident occurred along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area, near Zakin Baure village, where armed men reportedly ambushed their vehicle and opened fire.

The driver was said to have sustained a gunshot injury to the hand but was later spared by the attackers.

Meanwhile, sources said a notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, has established contact with members of the family since the abduction.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Katsina State Government nor security agencies had issued an official statement on the video or the demands contained in it.