.DHQ delegation visits Katsina, vows consequences
.Atiku slams Tinubu
.50 CSOs raise alarm as bandits infiltrate South
.Terrorists understand only force –HURIWA
.Urges NASS to make terrorism capital offence
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Sunday assured that those responsible for the death of retired Maj.-Gen. Rabe Abdullahi would be brought to justice.
This was announced on Sunday when a high-powered military delegation paid a condolence visit to the Katsina State Government.
The delegation, led by the Chief Administration Officer, Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. I.M. Abdullahi, conveyed the condolences of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the government and people of Katsina, over the death of the retired senior military officer.
Abdullahi described the late Rabe as a distinguished officer whose service and sacrifice to the nation would remain indelible.
He said the retired general’s death was a painful loss to his family, Katsina State, the Armed Forces and the nation at large.
“We share in the grief of the people of Katsina and the family of the deceased. The Armed Forces will continue to work with relevant security agencies to ensure that those responsible are identified and brought to justice,” he said.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Defence Headquarters to strengthening security operations and supporting efforts aimed at tracking down the perpetrators.
Other members of the delegation included Maj.-Gen. W.B. Idris, Rear Adm. A.H. Haruna, Maj.-Gen. B.P. Koughna, Brig.-Gen. I.M. Ibrahim, Brig.-Gen. S.K. Usman (Rtd), S.I. Kaita (Rtd), Maj.-Gen. M.S. Bindawa (Rtd). and A.Y. Abdullahi.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of Gov. Dikko Radda, the Deputy Governor, Faruk Jobe, thanked the military leadership for the show of solidarity and support.
Jobe said the visit underscored the strong partnership between the state government and the military in the fight against insecurity.
He reiterated the administration’s resolve to collaborate with security agencies to combat banditry and other criminal activities.
The deputy governor also called for sustained and intensified security operations across Katsina State and other parts of the country affected by insecurity.
The visit ended with a one-minute silence in honour of the late retired general, whose death has continued to attract tributes from military personnel, government officials and citizens nationwide.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Rabe was abducted alongside his wife on May 30, 2026, along the Katsina–Matazu Road while travelling to his hometown.
The Katsina State Government had announced that the retired military officer died in captivity from complications arising from diabetes and hypertension.
His remains were released by his abductors and was buried on Saturday evening at the Gidan Dawa Cemetery in Katsina metropolis in accordance with Islamic rites.
In his reaction, former Vice President and African Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has condemned the death of retired Major General Abubakar Rabe in bandits’ captivity, calling it a damning indictment of the Federal Government’s failure to secure Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his media office, Atiku said the tragedy exposes the “ineffectiveness of the Tinubu administration’s approach to tackling insecurity” and shows that no Nigerian is safe, regardless of status or service.
“It is with profound sadness and deep anger that we mourn the death of retired Major General Abubakar Rabe,” Atiku said, adding “The former Director of Defence Information devoted the better part of his life to defending Nigeria, yet “ended up dying in the hands of criminals.”
General Rabe was abducted on May 30, 2026, alongside his wife in Katsina State. Reports said he died from diabetes and hypertension complications while in captivity after efforts to secure his release failed. His wife remains with the kidnappers.
Atiku said the death is not isolated but “a stark reflection of a nation where criminal elements have become emboldened while citizens are increasingly left to fend for themselves.”
He recalled that other senior officers have also been killed or abducted recently.
The former Vice President linked Rabe’s death to another attack on the same day.
“As Nigerians mourned the passing of a retired Major General in the captivity of bandits, terrorists were simultaneously attacking the Kautikari community in Chibok LGA of Borno State and setting primary and secondary school facilities ablaze.”
He called Chibok “a national scar” since the 2014 abduction of over 270 schoolgirls, adding, “Twelve years later, many families have still not fully recovered… Yet, on the very day a retired Major General died in the captivity of bandits, terrorists returned to the Chibok axis to burn schools.
“The symbolism is devastating,” Atiku stated. “A retired General who spent his life fighting for the security of Nigeria dies in the hands of criminals, while terrorists return to one of their most notorious trademarks — attacking schools and terrorising communities.”
He noted that about 90 schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oyo and Borno since May 15 remain in captivity, alongside scores of others nationwide.
“Every school burned by terrorists is an attack on Nigeria’s future. Every child abducted is a reminder of state failure,” he said.
Atiku renewed his call for a state of emergency on security. “We cannot continue to pretend that all is well while bandits and terrorists roam freely, abduct citizens, burn schools, occupy communities, and even bring down our senior military officers.”
He demanded decisive action, not “empty promises, propaganda, and routine condemnations,” which has become the trademark if the present administration.
Atiku extended condolences to General Rabe’s family, prayed for his wife’s release and that of all captives, and urged Nigerians not to become numb to daily tragedies. “May the soul of General Rabe rest in peace. But let his death serve as a wake-up call,” he said, concluding by adding, “A nation that cannot protect its heroes, its children, and its citizens is a nation facing a grave crisis.”
He stated that President Tinubu has made the sacrifices of our soldiers and citizens seem futile, alleging that the president’s incompetence, cluelessness has reopened the scars of Chibok.
Meanwhile, a coalition of 50 civil society groups has sounded the alarm and issued a grave warning over what it called a “massive infiltration” of dislodged bandits into the South-East and South-South.
The groups stated that fleeing criminals are turning southern forests into new havens.
In a press statement released on Monday, the Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity and Justice described the migration of large numbers of bandits as an “alarming threat to Southern Nigeria’s internal security.”
The umbrella body covers 50 pro-democracy, security monitoring and human rights organisations.
The Coalition acknowledged ongoing military pressure in the northern theatres but said the success there is “triggering a catastrophic security displacement.”
It condemned turning the South-East and South-South into “the new dumping ground for fleeing criminal warlords who have spent years terrorising the hinterlands.”
“Field reports from the Coalition’s security tracking desks and rural networks show that bandits are exploiting dense forest covers, poorly policed borders and local network gaps,” the groups noted.
