Troops Rescue 4 Kidnap Victims Held With Late Gen Rabo, Wife In Katsina

By RhemDy News 

Troops of the Nigerian Army conducting Operation CLEAN SWEEP III have rescued four other kidnap victims who were kept in bandits' den with the late former Director of Defence Information, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retired) and his wife, Mrs Amina.

Recall that the widow of the late senior military officer was earlier rescued by troops on Monday after a fierce gun duel between the troops and her abductors.

The latest operation was described as another major breakthrough in ongoing counter-banditry operations in Katsina State with the rescuing of the four victims during sustained offensive operations targeting notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Muhammadu Fulani and his criminal network.

The Nigerian Army who disclosed this via its Facebook page on Wednesday, stated that troops of 17 Brigade Strike Group/Quick Response Force on Tuesday, June 16, supported by troops of 8 Division Special Forces, launched a deliberate offensive to clear terrorists' hideouts in Fafu Village along the Matazu-Musawa axis. 

The statement said prior to the ground assault, the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA conducted Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions over the area which enabled troops to accurately identify and dominate the terrorists' enclave.

It further added that troops made contact with the terrorists and engaged them with overwhelming firepower. 

Unable to withstand the troops' aggressive offensive, the terrorists fled in disarray and abandoned their camp and captives. 

The statement stressed that subsequent exploitation of the camp led to the rescue of the four abducted victims who were immediately evacuated to Forward Operating Base Matazu where they were received by the General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander Sector 2 Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Major General BP Koughna.

oughna reassured the rescued victims of their safety and reaffirmed the commitment of troops to restoring peace and security across the state. 

Some of the victims, who sustained gunshot wounds inflicted by their abductors during captivity, received immediate medical attention and were subsequently moved to the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina for expert medical management.

The victims were abducted on April 14, 2026, from Sabon Sara along the Matazu-Karaduwa Road and were held in captivity alongside the late Major General Rabe Abubakar (rtd) and his wife.

The military assured that the troops remain on the trail of Kachalla Muhammadu Fulani and other criminal elements and will continue to sustain aggressive operations until all those responsible for acts of terror against innocent citizens are apprehended or neutralised.