General Rabe Abubakar’s death raises many questions but offers few answers, by Ikechukwu Amaechi

When Major General Rabe Abubakar (Retd), former army spokesperson, died in captivity on Saturday, June 13, the nation reacted with shock. He was a prominent figure, and his death sparked immediate speculation. The situation intensified when, on Tuesday, news emerged that terrorists had attacked the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, near Jos, on Monday night, killing two soldiers and a policeman.

NIPSS is Nigeria’s leading policy think tank and executive leadership training institution. Each year it hosts senior public servants, military commanders, police and intelligence chiefs, diplomats, and private‑sector leaders to discuss the country’s future.

At present, the motive behind the gunmen’s attack remains unclear. If they had succeeded in killing, maiming, or abducting any high‑profile participants, the consequences would have been significant. Some commentators have called the attack unprecedented in its audacity, noting that the institute is a high‑security zone. However, the memory of a similar breach lingers: on August 24, 2021, terrorists attacked the permanent site of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Afaka, Kaduna State, infiltrated the officers’ quarters, killed a Major and a Squadron Leader, and abducted Major Christopher Datong. He was rescued by security forces 24 days later.

Because that incident is not widely remembered, the security breach at NIPSS is being portrayed as the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is not. The problem may lie in collective amnesia. That is why it is important to examine the circumstances surrounding General Abubakar’s death before it becomes another distant story. The Katsina State Government attributed his death in captivity to complications arising from diabetes and hypertension.

“The deceased retired General died a natural death from complications of diabetes and hypertension,” the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu’azu, said in a statement. Death is usually considered natural by medical experts if it was not caused by an external factor. In answering the question, “What does it mean to die of natural causes?” Dr. Alexander Fitzthum, a pathologist and assistant professor at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, U.S., said: “A natural death is one that occurs due to an internal factor that causes the body to shut down, such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes.”

Thus, General Abubakar may have died a natural death if he indeed suffered complications from pre‑existing medical conditions. But if he had access to his medication, could he have died? To what extent can the death of a 61‑year‑old man with a pre‑existing condition, in the hands of terrorists who denied him access to life‑sustaining drugs, be deemed natural?

The retired major general and former director of defence information was abducted with his wife, Amina, and driver when armed men attacked his vehicle on May 30 while travelling along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Katsina State. He was on his way to a wedding and, according to the government’s account, did not have his drugs. The more pressing questions are: Why was this information so important to the government? Why did they feel it necessary to inform the public that he died of natural causes? Whose agenda was that? How did they determine the cause of death without an autopsy? Were they informed by the terrorists?

These questions are relevant because General Abubakar’s family has rejected the state government’s claim. Speaking to Deutsche Welle (DW), one of his sons, Isyaka Abubakar, said reports attributing his father’s death to diabetes and hypertension are inaccurate. He emphasized that his father had no history of either illness. Instead, he said that, based on the last video released by the kidnappers, some people believed the late general died from a snake bite, a claim echoed by his sister, Adda Abubakar.

Such a mystery could have been resolved with an autopsy. In Islam, autopsies are generally considered a violation of the body’s sanctity, but they are permitted in cases of necessity when there are overriding societal benefits or legal requirements, under the principle of maslaha (public interest). Recognised Islamic scholars and legal bodies, such as the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), allow post‑mortem examinations under specific conditions, including legal and criminal investigations, homicides, unexplained sudden deaths, or foul play. The circumstances surrounding General Abubakar’s death and the need for an autopsy meet these criteria. If an autopsy had been performed, the cause of death would have been established factually.

The Katsina State Government should have carried out an autopsy, which would have complied with Islamic conditions. If it had been done, the burial could still have taken place within the ideal 24‑hour period. So why was he hurriedly buried? The third controversy concerns how his body was recovered. One account, reported by Premium Times, states that the terrorists directed state government officials to a location near the Karaduwa community, where they handed over the body before it was conveyed to Katsina under military escort. Former Kogi West senator Dino Melaye, in a post on X on Sunday, claimed that “heavily armed bandits” handed over the late general’s body in Katsina before returning to a nearby forest in Matazu. He did not disclose the source of his information. Another version of the story claimed that the terrorists dumped the body near a sawmill in Karaduwa community, and some locals who found it notified security personnel, who came, identified the remains, and picked them up in an ambulance escorted by the army to Katsina.

General Abubakar’s family, however, says they do not know how his body was found. “When I announced the time for my father’s funeral prayer, many people began asking how the body was recovered. I told them I did not know and that they should direct such questions to the government,” he said in the Deutsche Welle interview. “I myself want to know how the body was recovered without rescuing her.” He was referring to his mother, who was abducted alongside her husband. When the story of the death broke, the initial report was that the terrorists handed not only the general’s body but also the wife to government officials. That story also turned out to be false. Two days after the death and burial of her husband, troops of the Nigerian Army, supported by the Nigerian Air Force, rescued Mrs. Amina Abubakar.

Announcing the rescue on Monday, the Defence Headquarters said the operation followed intensified search‑and‑rescue efforts by troops of Operation Fansan Yamma. A statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said troops made contact with the kidnappers at Tunga Village during sustained offensive operations against criminal elements in the area. “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 statement said. No word was given on the fate of the driver. Is he alive or dead? Isn’t his life also important? And there is no indication that any of the terrorists was arrested or neutralised in the course of rescuing Mrs. Amina.

They simply shot her in the leg and disappeared into the forests. If they wanted, they could have treated her as they did the husband. So why did they not follow the same route this time? An act of benevolence from contrite minds or what? The death and hasty burial of Major General Rabe Abubakar and the “rescue” of his wife, Amina, raise many questions. Sadly, only a few answers have been provided. Why was the family blindsided in this harrowing saga? The way the Katsina State Government handled the matter leaves much to be desired. There seems to be more to it than meets the eye. Hopefully, one day a fully recovered Mrs. Amina will fill in the yawning gaps.

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