Late Gen. Rabe’s Son Denies Claim Father Had Diabetes, Says Mother Still in Captivity

Retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, Abubakar Rabe, and his wife, Hajiya Amina Abubakar

Late Gen. Rabe’s Son Denies Claim Father Had Diabetes, Says Mother Still in Captivity

KATSINA, Nigeria — Fresh contradictions have emerged over the death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar as one of his sons, Isyaka Rabe, publicly dismissed the Katsina State Government’s claim that his father died from complications of diabetes and hypertension.

In an emotional interview with Deutsche Welle (DW Hausa), Isyaka insisted the late General had no history of either condition and suggested the real cause may have been a snake bite — visible from the last video released by his abductors. He also delivered a stark update on his mother’s fate: contrary to social media rumors, Hajiya Amina Abubakar remains in captivity more than two weeks after the deadly abduction along a rural Katsina highway.

The Katsina State Government, through Commissioner for Internal Security Dr. Nasiru Mu’azu, announced on June 13, 2026, that the retired General died from diabetes and hypertension complications while held by bandits. But family members have rejected that narrative with unusual consistency. “Our father was not diabetic and did not suffer from hypertension,” Isyaka Rabe told DW. “In our view, it was a heart attack. But from the video, you could see his leg was swollen. Some people believe it was a snakebite. Only Allah knows the true cause.” His sister, Adda Abubakar, earlier posted on X (formerly Twitter) handle @Addahaleem, insisting: “My father did not suffer from diabetes. A snake bite was the actual cause of his death.”

The late General and his wife were abducted on May 30, 2026, along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. Their vehicle was ambushed near Zakin Baure village, the driver was shot and wounded, and the bandits later released a four-minute video showing the couple in captivity. In the video, captors demanded the release of three detained fighters and the return of seized livestock. That same video showed the retired General with a severely swollen leg — which the family now points to as evidence of a snake bite, not chronic illness.

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Perhaps the most urgent update from the family concerns Hajiya Amina Abubakar. Social media had been flooded with claims that the elderly widow had been freed. Isyaka Rabe set the record straight: “Whoever says she has been released — I, Isyaka Rabe, son of Major General Rabe — I say that is a lie. She has not been released. Right now, she is still in their custody.” Security sources confirm that rescue efforts are ongoing, but no official timeline has been given. A bandit leader identified as Kachalla Muhammad reportedly claimed in an audio message that he had suspended release plans due to increased security operations in the area.

The late General was buried on June 13, 2026 in Katsina according to Islamic rites, attended by family members, senior military officers, and government officials. But his daughter, Khadija Rabe Abubakar, captured the family’s lingering grief: “We buried our father without our mother by our side. That pain is indescribable. Every day she remains in captivity deepens our trauma.” When asked how the body was recovered, Isyaka directed questions back to the government: “When I announced the time for my father’s funeral prayer, many people asked how the body was recovered. I told them I did not know — they should direct such questions to the government.”

President Bola Tinubu has expressed sorrow over the General’s death, while the Defence Headquarters pledged to intensify operations against bandits in Katsina and surrounding states. However, the state government has not yet responded to the family’s public rejection of its diabetes-and-hypertension claim.