President Bola Tinubu has expressed outrage at the killing of retired Major‑General Rabe Abubakar while in the custody of armed kidnappers in Katsina State, and reiterated that his administration will not accede to demands to free detained militants.
General Abubakar, who retired from the Nigerian military a few years ago, was en route to his hometown when attackers abducted him, the presidency said in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga.
NewsQuest reports that the wife of the late General remains in captivity.
“Bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror should now surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian State,” President Tinubu was quoted as saying in the statement.
“These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. And no mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians,” Tinubu stressed.
The President extended condolences to General Abubakar’s family, the Katsina State government and the armed forces, and described the general’s death as a “defining moment” in the government’s campaign against insurgents.
President Tinubu said his administration would not negotiate with the perpetrators or accede to demands for the release of prisoners held by security agencies, calling militants “the greatest enemies of our dear nation” who “should never be spared.”
