Nowhere is safe, not even for a retired general in daylight.
In the forests and villages of Katsina state, northwest Nigeria, the machinery of lawlessness continues its indiscriminate work — this time claiming a retired major general and his wife, taken from a car en route to a wedding celebration. The abduction of Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar, a former military spokesman, arrives one day after armed men killed sixteen people during Eid festivities in the same state, together forming a portrait of a region where neither rank nor holiday nor forewarning offers protection. Nigeria's northwest has long been a theater of competing violences — criminal gangs, jihadist movements, and the slow erosion of state authority — and these two incidents remind us that security crises, left unresolved at their roots, do not merely persist; they deepen.
- A retired general and his wife were seized from their vehicle in broad daylight, their driver shot and fleeing, as armed men herded the couple into the surrounding forest.
- Just twenty-four hours earlier, gunmen had massacred sixteen villagers celebrating Eid al-Adha in Dutsinma, striking after Friday prayers when communities were most gathered and most vulnerable.
- Security agencies had issued warnings ahead of the holiday and deployed additional forces — yet neither the general's convoy nor the festive village could be shielded from attack.
- The Nigerian army has confirmed the abduction and is working to locate the couple, but no group has claimed responsibility, and the captors' ransom demand is widely anticipated.
- The government's official stance against paying ransoms hangs in tension with the reality that families often negotiate quietly, and the cycle of abduction continues to fund itself.
On a Saturday in Katsina state, armed men intercepted a car carrying a retired Nigerian major general and his wife as they traveled to a wedding. Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar, who served as the military's chief spokesman between 2015 and 2017, was forced from the vehicle along with his wife and marched into the forest. His driver, though shot, managed to escape. The army confirmed the kidnapping and said it was working to identify the captors, though no group had yet come forward.
The abduction is one more eruption in a region that has lived with endemic violence for years. Northwest Nigeria — and Katsina in particular — has been ravaged by criminal gangs known as bandits who kidnap for ransom, raid villages, and steal livestock. Jihadist groups have increasingly moved into the same territory, deepening the threat. The United States conducted an airstrike on a militant camp in neighboring Sokoto state as recently as last December. Some communities have attempted to negotiate peace directly with armed groups; few of those arrangements have held.
Nigeria's government has tried to break the cycle by discouraging ransom payments, reasoning that money sustains the abduction economy. The attacks have not slowed. Katsina and neighboring Zamfara remain among the most dangerous states in the country, and the security apparatus has struggled to impose order.
The kidnapping followed by a single day a massacre in the same state. On Friday, during Eid al-Adha celebrations, gunmen attacked Kiliya village in Dutsinma Local Government Area, killing at least sixteen people shortly after prayers. Authorities had warned of possible holiday violence and some states had restricted public gatherings and reinforced deployments. The precautions were not enough.
Taken together, the two incidents — a general seized from a car, villagers killed at a religious celebration — reveal the full weight of the crisis. The army now waits for a ransom demand it expects but its own policy forbids meeting. Whether that line holds, or quietly breaks in the shadows, the violence itself shows no sign of relenting without something more fundamental changing in how Nigeria confronts the problem.
On Saturday, armed men stopped a car traveling through Katsina state in northwest Nigeria and took two people: a retired major general and his wife. Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar, who had served as the Nigerian military's chief spokesman from 2015 to 2017, was on his way to a wedding when gunmen attacked the vehicle. His driver was shot but managed to escape. Abubakar and his wife were forced into the surrounding forest. The army confirmed the abduction and said it was working to locate them and identify their captors, though no group had yet claimed responsibility.
The kidnapping is the latest eruption of violence in a region that has become synonymous with lawlessness. Northwest Nigeria, particularly Katsina state, has endured years of attacks by criminal gangs locally called "bandits" who operate with little restraint. These groups kidnap for ransom, steal cattle, and raid villages. In recent years, jihadist militants have also moved into the area, adding another layer of threat. Last December, the United States conducted an airstrike on what it said was a militant camp in neighboring Sokoto state. The violence has become so entrenched that some communities have attempted to negotiate directly with armed groups, though these efforts have rarely produced stable peace.
The government has tried to stem the tide. Officials have introduced policies designed to discourage families from paying ransoms, reasoning that money fuels the cycle of abduction. Yet the attacks have not slowed. Katsina remains one of the hardest-hit states, and Zamfara, which borders both Katsina and Sokoto, has experienced similar turmoil for years. The security apparatus appears unable or unwilling to break the pattern.
Abubakar's abduction came just one day after another assault in the same state. On Friday, during Eid al-Adha celebrations, armed men attacked Kiliya village in Dutsinma Local Government Area. At least 16 people were killed. The attack occurred shortly after Friday prayers, when residents had gathered to mark the holiday. Security agencies had warned of possible violence during the festivities, and some state governments had responded by restricting large public gatherings and deploying additional security. The warnings proved insufficient. Police have not yet commented on the killings.
The two incidents—separated by a day but connected by geography and method—illustrate the depth of the security crisis. A high-ranking retired officer and his wife can be taken from a car in daylight. Villagers celebrating a major religious holiday can be slaughtered. The state's security forces, despite warnings and reinforcements, cannot prevent either. The army is now waiting to hear from Abubakar's captors, who will likely demand ransom. Whether the government's stated policy against paying will hold, or whether the family will negotiate in the shadows, remains to be seen. What is certain is that the violence will continue until something fundamental shifts in how the state approaches the problem.
Citações Notáveis
Efforts are under way to rescue the couple and track down their captors— Gen Michael Onoja, military spokesman
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a retired general's kidnapping matter more than the 16 people killed in the village attack?
It doesn't, necessarily. But Abubakar's prominence—his role as military spokesman—makes his abduction a signal. It says no one is untouchable. If they can take a man of his rank and visibility, the message to ordinary Nigerians is clear: nowhere is safe.
The government says it's discouraging ransom payments. Is that working?
The attacks haven't stopped. That's the answer. You can announce a policy, but if families are desperate and the state can't protect people, they'll pay. The policy assumes rational actors in a system with functioning alternatives. Neither exists here.
What's the difference between the "bandits" and the jihadist groups?
Motivation, mostly. The gangs want money and cattle. The militants want territory and ideology. But on the ground, in a village under attack, the distinction blurs. Both kill. Both terrorize. Both operate because the state has ceded control.
Why haven't peace negotiations worked in Zamfara?
Because there's no incentive to stop. A gang that negotiates peace loses its leverage. The moment it lays down weapons, it becomes vulnerable. And the state has shown it can't guarantee security even after agreements. So the cycle restarts.
What happens now with Abubakar?
The kidnappers will contact his family with a ransom demand. The family will face an impossible choice: defy the government's stated policy or risk their relative's life. Most will pay. The money funds the next kidnapping. The state's credibility erodes further.