- Safiu Kehinde
A former Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Rabe Abubakar (rtd.), has been abducted alongside his wife by suspected terrorists.
Rabe and his wife were reportedly kidnapped along the Matazu axis of Katsina State.
This is coming days after suspected bandits killed at least 16 people in Dutsinma Local Government Area of the state.
Meanwhile, the driver of the ex-defense spokesperson was said to have escaped with a gunshot injury.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, said the attack occurred at about 11a.m. on Saturday.
Abubakar said the assailants, armed with dangerous weapons, intercepted a red Peugeot 406 saloon car conveyin
“The driver, Abdullahi Sa’id, sustained a gunshot wound to his right arm during the attack,” Sadiq-Aliyu said.
Meanwhile, the police spokesperson identified the two abducted occupants of the vehicle as Abdullahi Batsari and Amina Abdullahi.
“Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer in Matazu, accompanied by operatives of the Village Community Response Unit (VCRU), swiftly mobilised to the scene.
“The team secured the area and evacuated the injured driver to a medical facility for treatment,” he said.
The police spokesperson further stated that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ali Umar-Fage, personally visited the scene and ordered the deployment of additional personnel and operational assets to strengthen ongoing search-and-rescue operations.
He said the deployment was aimed at ensuring the safe rescue of the abducted victims and the arrest of those responsible for the attack.
Sadiq-Aliyu assured residents that the command remains committed to tackling criminal activities across the state and urged the public to continue supporting security agencies with credible information.
He said: “Efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators are ongoing, and further developments will be communicated as investigations progress.”