Troops’ Belated Rescue of Rabe’s Wife

With the gallantry and professionalism displayed by Nigerian troops in the successful but belated rescue of Mrs. Amina Abubakar after her husband, retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, died in captivity, the Nigerian security forces should carry out rescue operation as soon as an abduction incident is reported, instead of watching Nigerians die helplessly in the hands of terrorists, Ejiofor Alike writes

Despite the efforts of the gallant men of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and other security agencies in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping for ransom has not only intensified, but has become a lucrative business in Nigeria.

This organised crime has continued to thrive, largely due to lack of focus on rescue operations by the government and security forces.

The major driver of kidnapping in Nigeria is the huge ransom being paid by the victims, which terrorists use to sustain their acts of terrorism.

Rather than deploying a high level of professionalism and gallantry to rescue hostages from armed bandits, security forces have, on several occasions, allegedly aided the payment of ransom by the government and families of victims of terrorists.

Other countries discourage kidnapping by rescuing hostages from gunmen without the payment of ransom to their captors.

In October 2020, an American hostage kidnapped in Niger Republic was successfully rescued in a raid by US special forces in Nigeria.

The victim, Philip Walton, was abducted from a village close to the border with Nigeria.

Walton was abducted from the village of Massalata, where he had been living with his wife and child for two years.

Locals said six men armed with AK-47s arrived in the village on motorbikes.

He was taken across the border into Nigeria before he was successfully rescued, six days later.

“This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the US Department of State,” the then Assistant to the Secretary of State for Public Affairs, Jonathan Hoffman, had said in a statement.

Hoffman added that no American security personnel were harmed in the operation to rescue Walton from the “armed men”.

US President Donald Trump, who was serving his first term in office, had sent a tweet praising the elite special forces.

Earlier, this month, the operatives of the Oyo State Police Command also successfully rescued Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, a 43-year-old younger sister of former Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, along with her twin sons in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, within three days of their abduction.

Two kidnappers were neutralised in a gun duel with police operatives, and two firearms recovered from the members of the gang, while their victims were unhurt.

But in the same Nigeria, where the US special forces rescued an American within six days, the security agencies watched helplessly for 14 days as terrorists tortured the former spokesman of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Major General Rabe Abubakar (rtd), until he died in the hands of his captors.

Terrorists record videos of their Nigerian victims as they are being tortured and subjected to inhuman and barbaric treatment.

In several incidents, retired and serving security personnel were tortured and shot to death by bandits while their serving colleagues watched helplessly, claiming that any rescue operation could harm the victims and lead to collateral damage.

This unprofessional stand of the security agencies has emboldened terrorists to keep their victims for several months until their families pay huge ransom.

This apparent nonchalant posturing of security agencies has fueled allegations of their complicity in the thriving business of kidnap-for-ransom.

The latest incident, which many believe, embarrassed Nigeria as a sovereign nation and reduced her status among the comity of nations, was the case of the former defence spokesman, retired Major General Abubakar, who was abducted in Katsina State, alongside his wife, Mrs Amina Abubakar.

Many Nigerians felt sad that the retired general was abandoned in the hands of terrorists by the government and his serving colleagues who watched him undergo torture and humiliation until he died.

On more than one occasion, the terrorists released videos of the retired senior officer and his wife, with the retired general showing signs of critical health conditions largely attributed to snake bite, torture and inhuman conditions under which he was kept, yet the military did not act at the nick of time.

It was not until the general had died in the hands of his captors that the military displayed gallantry and carried out an operation that successfully rescued his wife.

The retired general, who was abducted alongside his wife around the Matazu area of Katsina while travelling to a wedding, died in the custody of bandits exactly two weeks after his abduction.

Following his embarrassing death, troops of the Nigerian Army, supported by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), quickly carried out a rescue operation that freed his wife from captivity, an operation security analysts describe as belated.

A statement signed by the Director Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said troops made contact with the kidnappers at Tunga village during sustained offensive operations against criminal elements in the area.

According to the military, the bandits shot Mrs. Abubakar before abandoning her and fleeing in the face of advancing troops.

The military said the rescued victim was immediately evacuated to a military medical facility for treatment.

Reacting, President Bola Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the rescue operation as a demonstration of professionalism, courage and determination by the armed forces in confronting criminal elements across the country.

“I commend the intelligence coordination and bravery of the officers and men who executed the rescue operation. We owe a debt of gratitude to our troops who risk their lives daily to keep us safe,” Tinubu added.

In its belated reaction to the abduction of the retired senior officer, the DHQ had claimed after his death that the military withheld public comments on his abduction to avoid jeopardising ongoing rescue efforts mounted by the armed forces and other security agencies.

According to a statement by the defence spokesman, Major General Uba, every available operational resource was deployed in the bid to secure the safe release of the former military spokesperson before his death.

But the statement did not explain why the military waited for more than 14 days until the retired officer died before carrying out the rescue operation.

However, as belated as the rescue operation was, it has changed the narrative in the fight against terrorism and banditry and sent signals to terrorists that it is no longer business-as-usual.

Terrorists should not be given the privilege of keeping, and torturing their victims and negotiating ransom payment.

To minimise collateral damage, the military and other security forces should carry out rescue operations in a very professional manner as soon as any incident of abduction is reported.

It is a shame for the Nigerian government and her security apparatus to continue to abandon hostages in the hands of their captors under the guise of avoiding collateral damage.

These incessant embarrassments have made mockery of Nigeria as an unserious nation. This must stop.