{"id":200114,"date":"2026-06-14T23:42:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity"},"modified":"2026-06-15T02:29:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T01:29:27","slug":"nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria: Retired General Dies in Captivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong> <\/span>The Nigerian army announced the death of retired General Rabiu Abubakar, who was kidnapped by armed men in the northwest of the country, during his captivity.<\/p>\n

The retired general, who served as the spokesperson for the Nigerian army from 2015 to 2017, was abducted along with his wife during a trip in Katsina State (north) last month, while no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.<\/p>\n

Abubakar’s abduction and death highlight the ongoing security challenges facing large parts of northwest Nigeria, where criminal gangs known locally as “bandits” carry out kidnappings for ransom, alongside cattle rustling and attacks on villages and rural communities.<\/p>\n

Some armed extremist groups are also active in the region, and a camp believed to be associated with militants in Sokoto State was targeted in an American airstrike on December 25 of last year.<\/p>\n

Local media reported that the retired officer was on his way to a wedding on May 30 when armed men attacked his vehicle, abducting him, his wife, and their driver.<\/p>\n

Days before the announcement of his death, social media platforms circulated a video believed to have been filmed during his captivity, showing Abubakar apparently injured in his left leg, alongside his wife and several other hostages.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian army stated that it refrained from commenting publicly on the kidnapping while security agencies were making efforts to rescue the captives.<\/p>\n

The army’s statement read: “Out of respect for the ongoing rescue efforts being carried out by security agencies, the armed forces have refrained from making any public statements while all available operational resources were mobilized in hopes of ensuring his safe return.”<\/p>\n

Abubakar’s wife remains missing, as her condition and whereabouts are still unknown.<\/p>\n

However, a spokesperson for the army confirmed that “ongoing operations have been further strengthened to bring the perpetrators to justice and dismantle all terrorist networks threatening the country.”<\/p>\n

The Nigerian army mourned the retired general, who local media reported died at the age of 61, describing his loss as “tragic” and extending condolences to his family and former colleagues.<\/p>\n

The statement added that the deceased made “significant contributions to counter-insurgency operations,” emphasizing that “his commitment to duty and the unity of Nigeria will remain a commendable example for all members of the armed forces.”<\/p>\n

The armed insurgency in northern Nigeria, along with kidnappings for ransom, has resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions over the years, according to the United Nations, despite repeated pledges by President Bola Tinubu to address this crisis.<\/p>\n

President Bola Tinubu announced last Friday that over 13,000 “terrorists” were killed in the past year, asserting that the number of casualties from the insurgency in the country has decreased by 81% since he took office in 2023.<\/p>\n

Nigeria, the largest African country by population, has faced an insurgency from extremist groups for years in the north, and the situation is further complicated by the infiltration of extremist groups from the Sahel region, as well as attacks by criminal gangs not linked to any specific ideology, known locally as “bandits.”<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Nigeria<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Nigerian army announced the death of retired General Rabiu Abubakar, who was kidnapped by armed men in the northwest of the country, during his captivity. The retired general, who served as the spokesperson for the Nigerian army from 2015 to 2017, was abducted along with his wife during a trip in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":200113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29,14],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-200114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nNigeria: Retired General Dies in Captivity - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Nigerian army announced the death of retired General Rabiu Abubakar, who was kidnapped by\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigeria: Retired General Dies in Captivity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Nigerian army announced the death of retired General Rabiu Abubakar, who was kidnapped by\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-14T22:42:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-15T01:29:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/sm_1781486131.248848.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Nigeria: Retired General Dies in Captivity\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-14T22:42:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-15T01:29:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity\"},\"wordCount\":522,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/06\/sm_1781486131.248848.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/nigeria-retired-general-dies-in-captivity\",\"name\":\"Nigeria: Retired General Dies in Captivity - 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