The abductors of a retired army general and his wife released a video on Saturday showing the couple in captivity, using them to relay demands for the release of jailed members and the return of seized livestock.
The video, which runs about four minutes, surfaced on social media exactly one week after gunmen ambushed retired Major General Rabe Abubakar and his wife, Hajiya Amina Abubakar, along the Marabar Musawa-Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State . The former Director of Defence Information and his wife were seen standing in the footage as they appealed to government authorities to intervene .
Speaking on behalf of the abductors, Hajiya Amina conveyed the captors’ demand for the release of three of their members identified as Sani, Aminu and Nasiru . She explained that two of the detained individuals were arrested in Jikamshi, while the third was apprehended in Kano. The abductors are also demanding the return of livestock they claim was confiscated from them .
The retired general, who spoke briefly in the video, called for concerted efforts to ensure peace, stating that the abductors have expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue and pursue peaceful coexistence . Notably, no monetary ransom demand was mentioned throughout the video .
Hajiya Amina appealed directly to the Katsina State Government and leaders of five local government areas to facilitate compliance with the demands in order to secure their release. As of press time, neither the Katsina State Government nor security agencies had issued any official statement regarding the video or the demands made by the captors .
Sources familiar with the incident previously disclosed that a notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, who operates in parts of Katsina State, had established communication with relatives of the victims . The retired general, his wife, and their driver, Abdullahi Sa’idu, were abducted while travelling to Katsina when armed men suspected to be bandits emerged from hiding, blocked the road, and opened fire on their vehicle . Witnesses reported that the driver was shot in the hand during the attack but was later spared by the gunmen .
Abuja Network News
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