Kidnapped Nigerian retired general dies in captivity

Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar's death highlights continuing security challenges facing parts of the country. Rabe Abubakar: Kidnapped Nigerian retired general dies in captivity Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Retired Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar, pictured here in 2009, was spokesman for the army a decade ago A head and shoulders image of Rabe Abubakar wearing a military uniform. Kidnapped Nigerian retired general dies in captivity A retired Nigerian army general who had been kidnapped by gunmen in the country's north-west has died while being held captive, the military has said. Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar, who had a high-profile job as military spokesman between 2015 and 2017, was abducted with his wife while travelling in Katsina state last month. Maj Gen Rabe Abubakar, who had a high-profile job as military spokesman between 2015 and 2017, was abducted with his wife while travelling in Katsina state last month. No group has said it was behind the kidnappings. The abduction and death of Abubakar highlights the continuing security challenges facing parts of north-west Nigeria, where criminal gangs known locally as "bandits" frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom, as well as cattle rustling and attacks on rural communities. Some militant jihadists have also operated in the region. An alleged militant camp in Sokoto state was the target of a US airstrike on 25 December last year. Katsina has been one of the states most affected by the violence. Local media reported that the retired officer had been going to a wedding on 30 May when armed men attacked his vehicle and seized him, his wife and their driver. Days before news of his death emerged, a video shared on social media appeared to show Abubakar in captivity. He was seen with an apparent injury to his left leg alongside his wife and other hostages. The military said it chose not to comment publicly on the abduction while efforts to free those in captivity were being made. "In deference to ongoing rescue efforts by security agencies, the Armed Forces withheld public comment while every operational resource was deployed in the hope of securing his safe return," the statement said. The whereabouts and condition of Abubakar's wife remain unknown. But a military spokesman said that "ongoing operations have since been further intensified to bring perpetrators to justice and to dismantle all terrorist networks threatening our nation". The military paid tribute to the major general, who local media reported was 61 when he died, describing the loss as "tragic" and offered condolences to his family and former colleagues. A statement said he made "immense contributions to counter-insurgency operations… His commitment to duty and to the unity of Nigeria remains a shining example for all personnel." A woman wearing a mustard-coloured robe, seen from behind, walking through a street in Nukuru with mud-walled buildings on either side. Living in fear of Lakurawa - the militant group Trump targeted in Nigeria strikes Inside story of a Nigerian ransom negotiator Aliyu Abdullahi Isa, a Fulani herder wearing a white knitted hat. Behind him are white cattle grazing 'Peace is a gradual thing': How land, cattle and identity fuel a deadly Nigerian conflict A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Bola Tinubu was addressing the nation on Democracy Day, marking the return to civilian rule in 1999. Nigeria is the latest African state to repatriate citizens following reports of xenophobic attacks. The group includes many women and children who were abducted in March from an area close to Cameroon. Sylvester Muigai Ndung'u was in Nanyuki to fetch a school uniform on Tuesday, his mother says. Southwark Council in south London takes possession of a property linked to Sierra Leone's Fatima Bio. An outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo involves a rare species of the virus and is in an area affected by conflict. The taunting reflects anger from parts of the continent over reports of xenophobia in South Africa. Rights groups accuse the RSF paramilitary group of killing civilians in el-Obeid, a city on the civil war's front line.