Nigeria mourns loss of seven military commanders to terrorism and banditry

No fewer than six military commanders in active service and one retired Major General have been brutally murdered by terrorists since January 2026, as insecurity worsens across Nigeria.

Daily Post reports that the fight against insurgency has become deadlier, with a sharp rise in killings and ransom abductions, indicating that the decade‑long national crisis shows no sign of ending.

While civilians are being murdered daily, military officers and commanders are also targeted by assailants.

On 16 February 2026, Boko Haram fighters attacked the Mandaragirau community in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, killing Lieutenant Colonel O.C. Okolo.

He was buried in his hometown of Obinofia Ndiuno, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State in April 2026.

A month after Colonel Okolo’s death, armed militants murdered Major U.I. Mairiga, Commander of Mayenti base in Borno State, on 1 March 2026.

Lieutenant Colonel S.I. Iliyasu was killed on 6 March 2026 when Boko Haram fighters attacked a battalion in the Konduga area of Borno State.

Similarly, on 9 March 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Umar Farouq was killed when Boko Haram insurgents launched another deadly attack on a military base in Borno State.

The killings continued in April when Colonel I.A. Mohammed, Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army’s 242 Battalion in Monguno, Borno State, was murdered in active service on 13 April 2026.

Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah was also gunned down by members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) on 9 April.

The most recent incident involved the death of Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar.

Although not killed in active service, the retired general died in the forest after being abducted by terrorists in Katsina State.

He was taken along with his wife on the Marabar Musawa‑Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State on 30 May.

Daily Post reports that Rabe was last seen in a video in which his captors demanded the release of some bandits and the seizure of livestock.

The four‑minute, two‑second video circulated on social media showed the couple standing and relaying the demands of their captors.

In the video, the widow conveyed the abductors’ demand for the release of three of their members identified as Sani, Aminu, and Nasiru.

According to her account, two of the detained individuals were arrested in Jikamshi, while the third was arrested in Kano.

She further appealed to the Katsina State Government and the leaders of five local government areas to facilitate compliance with the demands in order to secure their release.

However, in a statement on Saturday, Nasiru Mu’azu, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Katsina, announced that Rabe had died from complications of diabetes and hypertension.

Nobody is safe – Nigerians react

Social media was flooded on Saturday with posts from concerned Nigerians, who expressed deep anger over the government’s inability to rescue General Rabe before he died.

Following the announcement of Rabe’s death, some political leaders took to X to mourn the former general and comment on the broader challenge of insecurity in the country.

Nigeria cannot continue like this – Peter Obi

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, said the unfortunate incident was painful, describing the deceased as a “distinguished military officer who dedicated a significant part of his life to defending Nigeria and protecting its citizens.”

“It is tragic that a man who served his fatherland with honour, rose through the ranks of the Nigerian Armed Forces, and retired after years of meritorious service, would meet such a heartbreaking end at the hands of criminal elements,” he added.

“His death is a national tragedy and a sobering indictment of the insecurity that has engulfed our country.”

“When traders can no longer travel safely to markets, farmers cannot access their farms, communities live under constant fear, and even retired senior military officers are not spared from the menace of kidnapping and violent crime, it becomes evident that our nation is facing a grave security emergency.”

Obi called on the Federal Government and security agencies to move beyond rhetoric and adopt a more proactive, intelligence‑driven, technology‑based, and coordinated approach to tackling insecurity.

According to him, Nigeria must strengthen its “security architecture, improve intelligence gathering, secure our borders, equip and motivate our security personnel, and ensure that those responsible for these heinous crimes are apprehended and brought to justice.”

It has become a national disaster – Sam Amadi

Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, said the deteriorating security situation is becoming a national tragedy, citing the killing of other top military personnel.

Amadi, who described the development as a sad event, questioned “why should a retired General be held in the forest for weeks and the Nigerian state cannot rescue him and his wife?”

“Where does the competence of the Tinubu government lie if it cannot rescue this retired General? This has happened too many times to become a national disaster.”

“The Nigerian government is only able to do propaganda and arrest political enemies and activists.”

Nigerians now endangered in their own country – David Mark laments

National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, lamented that Nigerians are now endangered in their own country “due to the persistent threats of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.”

The former Senate President, in a statement by his media aide, observed that “insecurity has continued to escalate for more than a decade, affecting every segment of society.”

He called on Nigerians to unite against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and all forms of criminality threatening the nation’s peace and stability.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, in a statement issued on Saturday night by his media aide Bayo Onanuga, said while the terrorists have “done their worst,” the government will never bow to their demand to release their members held by our security agencies.

Tinubu restated that “bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror should now surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State.”

“These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. And no mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians.”