BREAKING: Widow Of Kidnapped Late General Rabe Rescued By Troops, Shot By Terrorists But Alive
Troops of the Nigerian Army today Monday finally rescued Mrs. Amina Abubakar, widow of the Late Major General Abubakar Rabe (Rtd), following a shootout with her terrorist kidnappers at Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The military sources said her rescue followed an operation conducted under Operation CLEAN SWEEP III (Operation FASSAN YANMA) in Intelligence-led offensives launched in Matazu and adjoining communities.
The family had denied earlier reports by their native Katsina State Government at the weekend that she had been freed along with her husband’s corpse released by the terrorists.
The troops clashed with the bandits at Tunga village during a search-and-rescue operation, forcing the armed group to flee after coming under heavy military pressure.
“The bandits shot her and fled when we made contact at Tunga village. We have rescued Mrs. Abubakar. She is bleeding; we have given her first aid and are moving her for urgent medical attention,” a military source said.
Amina was abducted with her husband on May 30, 2026, when their vehicle was ambushed along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The couple were said to be travelling for a wedding when they ran into the ambush.
Two weeks after the incident, the death of the retired senior military officer was announced.
However, his captors refused to release his widow at the time, leaving her family and associates worried about her safety.
The Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, served in that capacity between 2015 and 2017.
The couple was reportedly travelling towards Katsina for a wedding that Saturday when gunmen intercepted their vehicle in Matazu Local Government Area and took them away.
The armed bandits intercepted the General’s Peugeot 406 saloon vehicle, opened fire and abducted two occupants while the driver escaped.
Their driver sustained a gunshot injury but managed to survive.
He was initially taken to a primary healthcare facility in Matazu before he was transferred to Katsina for further treatment.
The General died in captivity at the weekend.
