Isyaka Rabe, son of slain Major General Rabe Abubakar, has countered the Katsina State Government’s account of his father’s death, insisting the retired general did not die of diabetes or hypertension in captivity.
“My father had no history of diabetes or high blood pressure, contrary to what was publicly announced,” Isyaka told Deutsche Welle in an exclusive interview 22 minutes ago, 14 June 2026.
“They never told us how they got his body”
General Rabe and his wife were kidnapped by bandits on 30 May 2026 along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu LGA, Katsina State. He died in their custody days later.
But Isyaka says the family is still in the dark.
“When I announced the time for my father’s funeral prayer, many people began asking how the body was recovered. I told them I did not know and that they should direct such questions to the government,” he said.
Snake bite? Execution? Nobody knows
While the Katsina government pinned the death on “complications from diabetes and hypertension,” Isyaka dismissed it outright.
He pointed instead to the last video released by the kidnappers.
“Some people believed the late General might have died from a snake bite, based on the last video released by the kidnappers,” he stated. “Only God knows the true cause of death.”
—“Take it from me: our mother is still in captivity”—
In a second blow, Isyaka shut down rumours that his mother had been freed.
“Take it from me, our mother is still in captivity. She has not been released,” he clarified in a Hausa interview with DW Hausa.
The family’s account now throws the government’s version into question and raises fresh fears for Mrs Rabe, who remains trapped in the forest with the bandits who killed her husband.
The late general’s death has already sparked outrage nationwide.
HURIWA and CISLAC have called it an assault on the Nigerian State and demanded a probe into trillions spent on defence.
For the Rabe family, the fight is now for answers — and for the mother who never came home.
