‘How our father’s corpse was released remains a mystery’ — Gen. Abubakar’s son

The family of the recently deceased retired Major General Rabe Abubakar has revealed that they remained uninformed about how the body of the deceased military man was recovered by his captors before being buried following his death while in captivity.

Central Post Nigeria reports that the former Defense Information Officer (DDI) was abducted along with his wife two weeks ago by gunmen in the state of Katsina. It was reported that his death occurred in captivity owing to declining health status as declared on Saturday by the Government of Katsina.

However, the dead body of the Army General was laid to rest at a huge funeral prayer held in Katsina just hours after his death declaration.

But, in an interview conducted by ‘DW Hausa’ Service on Sunday night, the son of the deceased general has revealed that they were unaware of how the dead body of their father was recovered by his captors.

“When I announced that the funeral prayer will hold at 6pm, many people asked me how was the body recovered. I told them I had no information and asked them to direct such questions to the State government because I would also like to know,” he said.

His remarks come amid conflicting accounts over the cause of retired General Abubakar’s death in the bandits’ den.

While the Katsina State Government, in its statement issued by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu’azu, announced that Major General Abubakar died from complications arising from diabetes and hypertension while in captivity, his son disputed the government’s account, insisting that his father had no history of either ailment.

“Our father was not diabetic and did not suffer from hypertension. People have different opinions about what happened. We believe it was most likely due to a snakebite, while others think he might have stepped on something. From the video, you could see his leg was swollen, but only God knows the true cause of his death,” Isyaka added.

He described the late father as a devout Muslim, a peace-loving man and a humble individual who lived a modest life and died as a hero.

The deceased’s son also debunked reports claiming that his mother, who was kidnapped alongside the retired Army General, had regained her freedom, insisting that she remained in the custody of the abductors.

“Whoever says our mother has been released, I, Isyaka Rabe, am telling you it is a lie. She still remains a captive with them,” he stated.

Appealing to the Katsina State Government to intensify efforts to secure her freedom, Isyaka said the family had entrusted the matter to God.

“As Muslims, we will not blame anyone, but we know that as the governor, you are the father of the people. Our father has already died, now we are waiting for our mother,” he stated.