Hajiya Amina Abubakar, the widow of slain retired Major General Abubakar Rabe, has regained her freedom after spending weeks in the custody of bandits who abducted her alongside her husband in Katsina State.
Sources said the widow was freed on Monday after troops reportedly tracked the kidnappers to their hideout and engaged them in a gun battle, forcing the criminals to release her. However, security authorities had yet to officially provide details of the operation as of the time of filing this report.
The development comes barely two days after the tragic death of her husband in captivity.
The retired Army General and his wife were abducted on May 30, 2026, when armed bandits ambushed their vehicle along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. The couple was said to be travelling to attend a wedding ceremony when they were attacked and whisked away.
A week after their abduction, the couple appeared in a video circulated on social media in which their captors outlined conditions for their release.
In the four-minute, two-second footage, Hajiya Amina conveyed the demands of the kidnappers, who called for the release of three individuals identified as Sani, Aminu and Nasiru.
According to her, two of the detained suspects were arrested in Jikamshi, while the third was apprehended in Kano State.
She also appealed to the Katsina State Government and traditional leaders in five local government areas to intervene and facilitate compliance with the kidnappers’ demands to secure their freedom.
However, hopes for the safe return of the couple were shattered on Saturday when news emerged that Major General Rabe had died in captivity. The kidnappers, despite reports of his death, continued to hold his wife.
The circumstances surrounding the retired officer’s death have not been officially disclosed.
Last week, a notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Muhammad, had claimed he intended to release the widow but changed his mind due to intensified security operations in the area.
In an audio message, the bandit kingpin said the heavy deployment of security personnel forced him to suspend plans to free the retired general’s wife.
“I had promised the General that I would release his wife, but the deployment of security personnel in the area made me change my mind,” he said.
Kachalla also expressed anger over the arrest of individuals he claimed were members of his group, warning that the development had complicated any prospects for dialogue.
The release of Hajiya Amina has brought a measure of relief to her family and well-wishers, although it comes amid grief over the death of her husband, whose abduction and eventual killing sparked outrage and renewed concerns over insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria.
