By Hadiza Mohsmmed, Northern Operation
Armed bandits holding retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information (DDI), and his wife captive have demanded the release of some of their arrested members and confiscated livestock as conditions for freeing the couple.
The demands were conveyed in a video released by the kidnappers on Saturday, in which the retired Army General appeared alongside his wife, appealing to Katsina State government officials to intervene and secure their release.
In the footage, General Abubakar’s wife called on Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda and the chairmen of Matazu, Musawa, Kankia, Charanchi and Kusada Local Government Areas to assist in meeting the kidnappers’ demands.
According to her, the armed group insisted that their arrested members must be released along with cows and goats allegedly seized from them.
“Three of their boys have been arrested, including Aminu, Sani Nasiru and others, and they want them released alongside all their properties, their cows and goats that were captured as well,” she said.
“We are begging all those concerned to help us heed these demands so we can be released. Two of the boys were captured in Jikamshi and the other one was arrested separately, so we are appealing to the government to please adhere to their demands, release them and release their cows,” she added.
Major General Abubakar and his wife were abducted last Saturday while travelling along the Matazu Highway in Katsina State.
The couple was reportedly ambushed by armed men who intercepted their vehicle and whisked them away to an undisclosed location.
As of the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to issue an official response to the kidnappers’ demands.
