President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have both reacted to the death of retired Major General Abubakar Rabe, who passed away while held captive by bandits in Katsina State.
The retired former Director of Defence Information and Army Spokesperson was abducted on May 30, 2026, while travelling to his hometown, along with his wife, who remains in the kidnappers’ custody.
He was reported to have succumbed to complications from diabetes and hypertension during his ordeal after efforts to secure his freedom failed.
President Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the development as shocking and extended condolences to the general’s family, the Katsina State government, and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The President used the incident to restate his administration’s stance against terrorists, vowing the government would not yield to demands for the release of detailed militants.
“Bandits , kidnappers, and sponsors of terror should now surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) described General Rabe’s death as an indictment of the Tinubu administration’s failure to secure the lives of Nigerians.
In a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, the former Vice President said the tragedy exposed the frightening reality that no Nigerian, regardless of status or years of service to the nation is safe.
He called the General’s death a chilling reminder of the vulnerability of even the country’s most experienced military leaders in the face of rampant banditry.
Atiku further drew attention to a terrorist attack that occurred on the same day, in which gunmen struck the Kautikari community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, setting primary and secondary school facilities ablaze.
An incident he described as devastating, noting that Chibok has carried the weight of national trauma since the abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls in April 2014.
“The flames that consumed those school buildings reignited painful memories that Nigerians have spent more than a decade trying to overcome,” he said.
The former Vice President also lamented that approximately 90 schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oyo and Borno States since May 15 remain in captivity, alongside scores of other Nigerians help by criminal groups across the country.
He argued that the simoutenous death of the retired general in bandit custody and the burning of schools in Chibok on the same day were not isolated incidents, but together painted the picture of a nation under siege and a government losing hard-won security gains.
Renewing his call for a declaration of a state of emergency on security, Atiku urged the Federal Government to move beyond comdemnations and take decisive, coordinated action to rescue those in captivity and dismantle criminal networks.
“Every school burned by terrorists is an attack on Nigeria’s future. Every child abducted is a reminder of state failure,” he said.
He also prayed for the safe release of General Abe’s wife and all other Nigerians currently held captive, urging the country not to grow numb to the daily tragedies unforlding across its borders.
