The road to Katsina, once a pathway to family celebrations and homecomings, has again become a corridor of fear.
On Saturday morning, what should have been a routine journey to attend an event turned into a nightmare when armed bandits ambushed retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, and abducted him alongside his wife along the Matazu axis of Katsina State.
The attack, carried out with chilling precision, left the General’s driver wounded by gunfire but alive. The retired officer and his wife were dragged away into the vast forests that have become sanctuaries for criminal gangs terrorising communities across the North-West
Images circulating after the attack showed the victims’ red Peugeot vehicle riddled with bullet holes and parked at the Matazu Divisional Police Headquarters—a silent witness to another chapter in Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.
For many Nigerians, the abduction is more than another kidnapping statistic. It is a disturbing symbol of a nation where even those who once commanded troops and defended the country are no longer insulated from the violence consuming rural communities and major highways.
General Abubakar’s ordeal evokes painful memories of Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga, former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who spent 56 harrowing days in captivity after being kidnapped by bandits in Katsina in 2025.
Yet beyond the suffering of retired officers lies an even deeper tragedy—one that unfolds daily in the forests, trenches and battlefields where serving soldiers continue to confront terrorists, bandits and insurgents.
For years, Nigerian soldiers have endured ambushes, roadside explosions, kidnappings and brutal attacks while battling criminal groups across the country. Many have been killed in remote outposts. Others have been captured, tortured or declared missing after fierce encounters with terrorists. Some returned home in coffins draped in the national colours; many others never returned at all.
The abduction of a retired General underscores a grim reality: the insecurity that has long haunted villagers, farmers and commuters now reaches into the ranks of those who once led the nation’s fight against it.
Ironically, General Abubakar was among the military’s most recognisable voices during his years as Defence spokesman. He regularly briefed the country on counterinsurgency operations, military victories and the sacrifices of troops on the frontlines. Today, he finds himself at the centre of the very crisis he once helped explain to the nation.
His kidnapping comes barely a day after another horrifying incident in Katsina.
On Friday, armed bandits descended on Kiliya village in Dutsinma Local Government Area shortly after Juma’at prayers, turning an Eid-el-Kabir celebration into a scene of carnage.
Witnesses recounted how residents were relaxing after prayers when gunmen stormed the community on motorcycles. Panic erupted as villagers attempted to flee.
“People started running when they saw them, but the gunmen ordered everyone to stop,” one survivor quoted by the media recalled.
Moments later, the attackers reportedly opened fire indiscriminately.
Another resident narrated how he narrowly escaped death after hiding inside a nearby house.
“After the Friday prayers, we were sitting together when I called a boy selling local drinks and bought a bowl from him. Suddenly, the bandits arrived. The boy and I ran into a house and hid.
“While inside, we heard screams and gunshots everywhere. When the shooting eventually stopped and we came out, we found about 16 lifeless bodies, including some of my uncles and cousins, the Daily Trust reports.
The massacre left at least 16 people dead and triggered a mass exodus from the village. More than 400 residents reportedly fled to neighbouring communities, while several others remain missing amid fears that the death toll could rise further.
Some victims were reportedly discovered in surrounding farmlands, suggesting they may have been hunted down while working or attempting to escape.
The twin tragedies of Kiliya and Matazu have renewed concerns over the security situation in Katsina State despite ongoing military operations across the North-West.
Security sources disclosed that search-and-rescue operations have already been activated to locate General Abubakar and his wife. Intelligence assets and security personnel are reportedly tracking the abductors in an effort to secure their safe release.
But as Nigerians await news of the retired General’s fate, a troubling question hangs in the air. If a former Defence spokesman and Major General can be abducted on a major highway, what hope remains for ordinary villagers, farmers and travellers who navigate the same dangerous roads every day?
The answer may lie in the countless stories of serving soldiers who continue to confront terrorists and bandits in hostile terrain, often at great personal cost. Their sacrifices have become a recurring feature of the nation’s security narrative, yet the persistence of attacks such as those in Matazu and Kiliya reveals how far the battle remains from being won.
In Katsina today as in other parts of Nigeria, the forests remain restless, the highways uncertain, and fear travels faster than any vehicle.
And somewhere beyond the reach of anxious families and security forces, another retired General waits in captivity—an unsettling reminder that in Nigeria’s long war against terror and banditry, no one is entirely beyond the crosshairs.