Troops Recover Slain General’s Wife, Destroy Bandit Bases
Soldiers of the Nigerian Army, backed by the Air Force, have rescued Mrs Amina Abubakar, widow of the late Major General Rabe Abubakar, weeks after bandits seized her and her husband on a Katsina road, even as the military widened its offensive across the troubled state.
The Defence Headquarters announced the rescue on Monday, saying it followed intensified search-and-rescue efforts by troops of Operation Fansan Yamma. A statement by the Director of Defence Information, Maj Gen Samaila Uba, said soldiers made contact with the abductors at Tunga Village during sustained offensive operations against criminal elements in the area.
“The rescue operation followed intensified search-and-rescue efforts conducted by troops of Operation Fansan Yamma. During sustained offensive operations and pressure mounted on the criminal elements, troops made contact with the bandits at Tunga Village, leading to the successful recovery of Mrs Abubakar,” the statement read. “In the course of the encounter, the bandits shot Mrs Abubakar before abandoning her and fleeing due to the overwhelming pressure from advancing troops.”
The military said she was immediately evacuated and “is currently receiving medical attention at a military hospital, where she is responding to treatment.” Uba added that the Armed Forces “remains committed to ensuring her full recovery and is providing all necessary support to her family during this difficult period.”
The couple was ambushed on May 30, 2026, along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area while travelling for a family event, according to police accounts. The retired general was reportedly killed on Saturday, June 13, with his death confirmed by the Defence Headquarters days before his widow regained freedom. Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, had served as one of the military’s most recognisable spokesmen.
His abduction and death drew national attention partly because a video had circulated showing the couple in captivity, with the kidnappers demanding the release of detained associates and the return of seized livestock as conditions for freedom.
The rescue coincided with a broader push by the Joint Task Force North West. The military said Operation Clean Sweep III began on June 14, 2026, in the Matazu axis, with troops destroying criminal hideouts and logistics bases. In a separate statement, the Media Information Officer of Operation Fansan Yamma, Lt Col Aliyu Danja, said soldiers recorded successes around the Dikkawa Hills and conducted clearance operations in Adua, Nasarawa and Karaduwa communities, destroying “terrorists’ life-support structures and logistics bases.”
In neighbouring Kebbi State, troops of Sector 2 overran suspected Lakurawa terrorists in the Dogon Daji area of Dandi Local Government Area on Sunday, June 14. According to the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 8 Division, Lt Col Olaniyi Osoba, the soldiers recovered rocket-propelled grenade tubes, RPG warheads, multiple improvised explosive devices, two motorcycles and other equipment, with no casualties among the troops.
The incident underscores the persistent insecurity across Nigeria’s North-West, the epicentre of the country’s kidnapping crisis. A report by geopolitical research firm SBM Intelligence found that 2,938 people were kidnapped in the North-West between July 2024 and June 2025, over 60 percent of reported incidents nationwide. Katsina alone recorded 566 abductions in that period, behind Zamfara’s 1,203 and Kaduna’s 629. Nationally, nearly 5,000 people were kidnapped and over 760 killed, with ransom demands reaching as much as ₦48 billion.
The military has pointed to gains. The Nigerian Army’s year-end report listed 1,023 kidnap victims rescued and 305 bandits neutralised across Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara states in 2025. Still, the killing of a retired general signals that high-profile targets remain exposed, and authorities have vowed to sustain operations until the perpetrators are apprehended.