Editorial: Abubakar Rabe’s death and Nigeria’s lingering insecurity crisis

By solacebase.com On Jun 15, 2026

Abubakar Rabe, death, Nigeria, insecurity, Katsina, — Editorial: Abubakar Rabe's death and Nigeria's lingering insecurity crisis

The death of retired Major General Abubakar Rabe in captivity should concern every Nigerian. Beyond the loss of a distinguished military officer, the incident underscores a painful reality that has become increasingly difficult to ignore: insecurity in Nigeria has reached a point where no one can confidently claim to be beyond its reach.

For many years, insecurity has remained one of the country’s most stubborn challenges. Although the crisis has become more visible in recent years, its roots stretch much further back.

Nigeria has long grappled with communal clashes, armed robbery, militancy, ethno-religious conflicts and weak state presence in some parts of the country.

Boko Haram itself emerged in the early 2000s before transforming into a full-scale insurgency around 2009. Since then, successive administrations have inherited the challenge and promised solutions, yet the problem has continued to evolve rather than disappear.

As one threat appeared to weaken, another emerged. While national attention remained focused on the insurgency in the Northeast, criminal groups found opportunities elsewhere.

Across large parts of the Northwest, cattle rustling, illegal mining, the proliferation of small arms and competition over scarce resources gradually gave rise to banditry.

What initially seemed like isolated criminal activities developed into organised networks capable of attacking communities, abducting travellers, rustling livestock and confronting security forces.

Meanwhile, communal and ethno-religious violence persisted in parts of the Middle Belt, while kidnapping-for-ransom spread across major highways and communities in different parts of the country.

Today, insecurity is no longer confined to any particular region. It has become a national concern affecting urban and rural communities alike.

The death of Major General Abubakar Rabe in captivity is particularly significant is because it is not an isolated case. Before him, retired Brigadier General Mahrazu Tsiga spent more than 50 days in captivity after being abducted by bandits in Katsina State.

Reports indicated that substantial ransom payments were made before he eventually regained his freedom. Years earlier, retired Major General Idris Alkali disappeared while travelling through Plateau State. His disappearance triggered a massive security search operation before his remains were eventually recovered from a well.

Viewed together, these incidents are more than individual tragedies. They suggest that criminal groups have become sufficiently emboldened to target individuals once considered among the country’s most protected and security-conscious citizens.

If retired generals can be abducted, held captive for weeks, forced to pay ransom or lose their lives at the hands of criminal groups, it sends a chilling message to millions of Nigerians who lack their experience, influence or resources.

The trend extends beyond these cases. A review by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) found that at least 10 retired senior military officers, including a former Chief of Defence Staff, major generals, brigadier generals, colonels and an air vice marshal, have either been abducted or killed in violent attacks over the past eight years.

Among them was former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, who was shot dead by gunmen along the Abuja-Keffi Road in December 2018. In June 2024, retired Brigadier General Uwem Udokwere was killed during an attack on his residence in Abuja.

There is a painful irony in the fact that some of the individuals who once occupied senior positions within Nigeria’s security architecture are now among the victims of the insecurity they spent their careers trying to contain.

The scale of the crisis is reflected in findings from the National Bureau of Statistics’ Crime Experienced and Security Perception Survey (CESPS) 2024.

The survey estimated that 614,937 Nigerians were killed and 2,235,954 others kidnapped between May 2023 and April 2024.

It further estimated that about N2.2 trillion was paid as ransom during the period, while rural communities recorded a higher number of killings than urban areas.

Similarly, SBM Intelligence reported that at least 4,722 Nigerians were abducted between July 2024 and June 2025, with approximately N2.57 billion paid as ransom.

Although the two reports cover different periods and employ different methodologies, both point to the same disturbing reality: kidnapping has become one of Nigeria’s most persistent security threats.

Beyond the loss of lives, insecurity has imposed enormous economic costs on the country. Farmers are abandoning fertile farmlands for fear of attack.

Businesses are relocating or shutting down. Transport and production costs continue to rise, while investors remain wary of committing resources to areas perceived as unsafe.

The consequences are reflected not only in affected communities but also in food prices, economic growth and national development.

Yet one question continues to linger. Why is a country whose military earned international respect through peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other conflict zones still struggling to contain insecurity within its own borders?

Part of the difficulty is that today’s insecurity is no longer confined to a single group or region. The country simultaneously confronts insurgency in the Northeast, banditry in the Northwest, communal violence in parts of the Middle Belt, kidnapping networks operating across several states and other forms of organised criminality.

The multiplicity of threats has stretched security resources and complicated efforts to achieve lasting peace.

There is no doubt that Nigeria’s security forces have recorded important successes against insurgents and criminal groups. Several terrorist commanders have been eliminated, camps have been dismantled and numerous operations have disrupted criminal networks.

These achievements deserve recognition. However, most Nigerians assess security differently. They judge it not by operational statistics but by everyday experience.

They ask whether they can travel without fear, whether their children can attend school safely and whether they can sleep through the night without worrying about an attack on their community.

Part of the challenge lies in the nature of the threat itself. Unlike conventional warfare, today’s criminal groups operate within society.

They rely on informants who provide intelligence about potential victims and security movements. They obtain food, fuel and other supplies through networks of collaborators.

In many cases, attacks that appear sudden have been carefully planned with information gathered from people living within the affected communities.

Large forests stretching across several states and Nigeria’s vast, porous borders have further complicated the challenge.

Security operations may dislodge criminal groups from one location, but without sustained monitoring and control, they often regroup elsewhere and resume their activities.

This uncomfortable reality means that insecurity is not solely a military problem. It is also a societal problem.

Communities must confront the difficult truth that criminal groups cannot survive without local support. Individuals who supply fuel, food, information or shelter to bandits and kidnappers are contributing directly to the insecurity that continues to devastate communities across the country.

Equally troubling is the atmosphere of suspicion that insecurity has created. As attacks continue, entire ethnic groups are sometimes unfairly stereotyped and associated with banditry or terrorism because of the actions of a few criminals.

Such assumptions do not strengthen security; rather, they weaken national unity and distract attention from the actual perpetrators of these crimes.

The politicisation of insecurity has further complicated the situation. Security failures are often interpreted through partisan lenses, with political actors more interested in assigning blame than building consensus around solutions. Meanwhile, criminals continue to exploit divisions and expand their operations.

Perhaps the greatest casualty of prolonged insecurity is public confidence. Every successful abduction, every attack on a community and every delayed response to distress calls weakens citizens’ faith in the state’s ability to protect them. Rebuilding that confidence is as important as defeating the criminals themselves.

The death of Major General Abubakar Rabe should therefore be seen as more than a tragic incident. It should serve as a national wake-up call.

The question before Nigeria today is not whether insecurity exists. The evidence is overwhelming. The real question is whether government, security agencies, communities and citizens are prepared to confront the challenge with the seriousness, unity and determination it demands.

If retired generals who spent decades protecting the country can become victims of insecurity, ordinary Nigerians have every reason to be concerned.

That reality alone should convince the nation that the fight against insecurity requires greater urgency than ever before. Until that happens, the promise of safety for all Nigerians will remain elusive.