By Eric Elezuo

The truth surrounding the circumstance behind the death of the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election, Chief MKO Abiola, may have finally been unveiled if the contents of the book written and presented by former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, is anything to go by. The death of Abiola, which came exactly one month after that of the maximum leader, General Sani Abacha, had fueled widespread speculation that he had been eliminated to prevent his release from prison, and eventual inauguration.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has dismissed claims that Chief MKO Abiola was poisoned, insisting that an autopsy conducted by pathologists from four different countries attributed his death to natural causes.

Abubakar’s revelations are contained in Chapter 21 of his 264-page, 27-chapter autobiography titled ‘Call of Duty,’ which was publicly presented, alongside two others at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

The presentation was held to mark the former Head of State’s 84th birthday and was attended by President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima as Special Guest of Honour.

TheCable, which had the privilege of publishing the book, had exclusively reported that on the events leading to Abiola’s death on July 7, 1998, Abubakar said the Bashorun collapsed during a meeting with a visiting American delegation comprising Mr Tom Pickering, then U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, and Ms Susan Rice, then Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Abubakar wrote:

“I do not believe Abiola was poisoned. The family requested an autopsy and we assembled American, British, Nigerian and Canadian pathologists to conduct it. The autopsy report attributed his death to natural causes.”

The former Head of State further disclosed that Abiola had been managing pre-existing medical conditions, including hypertension and a heart ailment, dating back to 1994 when he was first detained.

The former Head of State said, “As far back as 1994 when he was arrested by the Abacha Administration for declaring himself President, it was public knowledge that Abiola was managing certain medical conditions which could seriously affect the quality of life of any human being.”

According to Abubakar, a radiological report by Colonel (Dr) O. Awofeso, then Chief Consultant Radiologist at the Nigerian Army Defence Hospital, Sokoto, dated September 28, 1994, found that Abiola’s heart was enlarged with “right ventricular preponderance” consistent with hypertensive cardiac disease.

The former military leader narrated how the fatal meeting unfolded, citing Rice’s 2019 memoir, ‘Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For,’ in which she recalled that Abiola began coughing mildly about five minutes into their conversation before it became “wracking” and “dramatic.”

“Rice said she noticed Abiola’s ankles were swollen. About five minutes into their conversation, according to her, ‘Abiola started to cough, at first mildly and intermittently, and then wrackingly with consistency,’” Abubakar wrote, quoting the memoir.

He said Abiola complained of feeling hot and asked that the air-conditioning be turned up, after which a doctor was summoned and diagnosed a heart attack.

Quoting Pickering’s account in a BBC interview shortly after Abiola’s death, Abubakar wrote that the politician “had trouble breathing, went into the toilet and came out obviously very distressed,” before being moved to a couch where he removed his shirt and asked for the room to be ventilated.

“A doctor arrived within 10 minutes and called for immediate hospital attention.

“We all helped to put him in a car, there was no ambulance immediately available. We followed him to the clinic of the Head of State of Nigeria, where doctors immediately began to work on him…but unfortunately at the end of their efforts it was not possible and he died,” Abubakar quoted Pickering as saying.

Abubakar recalled receiving the news from his Chief Security Officer, Abdulrasheed Aliyu, who had led the American delegation to the meeting.

“Aliyu, my CSO, called me. As soon as I picked, he said, in a shaky voice, that there was a problem. I asked: ‘What problem again?’ He said Abiola was dead. My head went blank,” Abubakar wrote.

He described breaking the news to Abiola’s family, recounting how one of the politician’s daughters broke down in tears and was consoled by Rice.

“If we had not allowed the American delegation to see him and he had died in custody, it would have been a different story. It would have been insinuated that he had long died and we were trying to cover it up,” he stated.

The former Head of State also addressed allegations that he received $500m in cash following Abacha’s death, describing the claim as “pure fantasy” and “an absolute imagination.”

He narrated, “I want to put it on record that nobody gave me $500 million or any amount, bigger or smaller.

“Is it possible to collect half a billion dollars in cash and only one person in the world would know about it?”

General Abubakar became the emergency Nigerian rulers at the sudden of General Abacha on June 8, 1998. He was just a month old in office when Abiola also unceremoniously slumped and died right inside the State House clinic.

Abubakar takes the credit for shepherding the nation through a swift transition that lasted less than 12 months, bring Chief Olusegun Obasanjo back to power as a civilian president on May 29, 1999.

Abubakar is respected today as one Nigerian, who is not greedy or overtly ambitious for power.

By Eric Elezuo

For close to 20 years, Nigeria has grapple with a high sence of insecurity that has threatened its very fabrics, and resulting in the deaths and displacement of thousands of citizens and loss of property worth billions of naira.

Many years after the first strike of Boko Haram in the early 2000s, the situation has continued to worsen, with succeeding governments appearing helpless in the face of the increasing menace. Boko Haram’s onslaught across Nigeria, especially in the North, has been beefed up by other more sinister terror groups including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Lakurawa, Bandits, Fulani Herdsmen and a host of others.

The activities of these terror groups have consistently rendered the country as a huge geographical orphanage, where fathers and mothers are tragically snatched from their children, and children, most of whom are of very tender age, are forcefully taken away from their abode and place of study, and most times, never seen again.

As at today, about 47 pupils and teachers of two community schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, are languishing in the custody of terrorist in a yet to identified location. Videos that have made the rounds on social media in the recent past have shown the terrorist slaughtering one of the teachers, Michael Oyedokun, and some of the teachers pleading on gunpoint with the government to rescue them.

But beneath the abduction of common citizens, the terrorists have upgraded to abducting high ranking military officers, including generals.

Only last weekend, tears flowed freely as family members, friends, military officers, government officials and sympathisers bid a final farewell to retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, who died in bandits’ captivity, thereby re-igniting public outrage over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, which the government is either clueless about handling, or completely unperturbed about.

Retired General Abubakar, who is credited with the statement that insurgency has been “technically defeated”, was laid to rest at the Gidan Dawa Cemetery, located opposite his residence in Katsina metropolis, following funeral prayers attended by a large crowd of mourners.

Among those present were top government officials, security chiefs, senior military officers, traditional title holders, political associates, family members and well-wishers who gathered to pay their last respects to the deceased.

Known to have defended continuing attacks of insurgents during his hay days as Military spokesperson as “the last kicking of a dying group,” Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd) was kidnapped on May 30, 2026 with his wife, while returning from public function. His death was reported on June 13 while still in custody of the terrorists. In a show of either magnanimity or plea-bargain, the terrorists returned his corpse to the Katsina State government on Saturday before his body was interred by 6pm same day.

However, the Katsina government has exonerated the terrorists on the death of the retired general, saying he died a natural death.

A statement by Nasiru Mu’azu, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, said Abubakar died from complications of diabetes and hypertension.

“It is with profound sadness that we confirm the General’s death while in bandits’ captivity,” the statement reads.

“Despite the relentless and concerted efforts of the State Government and various Security Agencies to secure his safe release, the situation ended in this tragedy.

“The deceased Retired General died a natural death from complications of diabetes and hypertension.

“His abduction and subsequent death are not only a loss to his family and Katsina State but a monumental loss to the entire country.

“His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Katsina State Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, CON, extends his deepest condolences to the family of the late General and the country at-large.

“The Governor has described this incident as a “dark moment” and a reminder of the urgent need for a collective and intensified front against the criminal elements threatening the peace of our communities.”

The Katsina government added that it remains committed to working with the federal government and security forces to ensure that those responsible for the heinous act are brought to justice.

“We assure the citizens of Katsina State that our resolve to eliminate banditry and ensure the safety of all residents remains unshaken,” the statement added.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family during this difficult time. May the soul of the departed Retired Major General Rabe Abdulakdir rest in eternal peace.”

But in a quick rebuttal, one of the sons of the slain General, Isyaka Rabe, echoing the voice of the entire Rabe family, publicly dismissed the Katsina State Government’s claim that his father died from complications of diabetes and hypertension.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle (DW Hausa), Isyaka insisted the late General had no history of either condition and suggested the real cause may have been a snake bite — visible from the last video released by his abductors. He also delivered a stark update on his mother’s fate: contrary to social media rumors, Hajiya Amina Abubakar remains in captivity more than two weeks after the deadly abduction along a rural Katsina highway.

He said: “Whoever says she has been released — I, Isyaka Rabe, son of Major General Rabe — I say that is a lie. She has not been released. Right now, she is still in their custody.”

Also disputing the natural death theory of the Katsina government, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) in a statement strongly rejected any suggestion that the retired general died a natural death, arguing that his demise was directly linked to the prevailing insecurity in the country.

“There is nothing natural about dying in the hands of bandits,” Charanchi said.

“A man abducted from his home or along the road and held captive by criminals did not die a natural death—he died because the state failed in its most sacred responsibility: protecting the lives and property of its citizens,” he stated.

Charanchi said the death of a retired Major General while in captivity raises serious questions about the safety of ordinary Nigerians.

“When even a retired major general can be kidnapped and perish in captivity, what hope remains for ordinary Nigerians? This tragedy is a damning indictment of the worsening insecurity ravaging our nation. No amount of official wording can whitewash this painful reality,” he stated.

He noted that the incident is a direct consequence of the collapse of security and the inability of authorities to adequately guarantee the safety of citizens.

Abubakar’s unceremonial and tragic end is a painful reminder of the crises facing thousands of Nigerians who remain vulnerable to criminal attacks despite government alleged efforts to restore peace and security across the country.

The late General and his wife were abducted on May 30, 2026, along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State. Their vehicle was ambushed near Zakin Baure village, the driver was shot and wounded, and the bandits later released a four-minute video showing the couple in captivity.

The death of Major General Rabe Abubakar is one too many in the hands of bandits and nonestate actors. The killings have gone beyond regular citizens to targeting  highbrow generals.

In April 2026, the Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, Brigadier-General Oseni Braimah, was killed following a deadly midnight assault on a military base in Benisheikh, Borno State.

Surviving soldiers described the incident as one of the most intense attacks in recent months.

While the Nigerian Army insisted that the attack was successfully repelled and dismissed claims of heavy casualties and equipment failure, accounts from soldiers and residents painted the picture of a coordinated insurgent offensive that overwhelmed troops, leaving significant destruction in its wake.

The attack, which occurred around 12.30am, was carried out by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters, who launched simultaneous assaults on multiple military positions in Benisheikh, a strategic town in Kaga Local Government Area along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

A soldier who survived the attack but requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, according to reports, described the scale and coordination as unprecedented.

“We are used to coordinated attacks, but this was different. They came in large numbers from different directions at the same time. It felt like they had studied our positions for weeks,” he said.

Also in November 2025, Brigadier-General Uba Musa, leader of the 25 Task Force Brigade, was killed when his troop was ambushed around Damboa-Wajiroko Road in Borno State while returning from a routine military operation. It was also at this period that terrorists invaded and abducted several students of Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) Maga in Danko/Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State. The abduction was credited to barefaced security breach.

Confirming Musa’s death, President Bola Tinubu expressed deep sorrow over the general and other personnel’s death and extended condolences to their families and the military.

In a statement signed by Tinubu’s Media Aide, Bayo Onanuga, the President noted that:

“As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I am deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of our soldiers and officers on active duty. May God comfort the families of Brigadier General Musa Uba and other fallen heroes.

“It is heartbreaking that terrorists have disrupted the education of innocent schoolgirls. I have directed security agencies to act swiftly to bring the girls back to Kebbi State.”

The abducted former Director General, National Youth Service Corps, Brig.-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga (retd.), has reportedly regained freedom after spending 56 days in his abductors’ den.

The release of Tsiga was disclosed by a family member, Shamsuddeen Badaru, via a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Also in February 2025, a former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga (retd), was abducted in his hometown of Tsiga, in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, along with at least nine others. The bandits killed one person during the attack.

The kidnapped General reportedly spent 56 days in his abductors’ den before regaining freedom in April of same year. Tsiga was much luckier than Rabe, Musa and Braimah.

But beyond the killings, the country and its citizens live in perpetual fear of the unknown as no one knows who the next victim will be. Government efforts at  urging the menace have remained abysmal, just as the promised assistance of the Donald Trump-led government of the United States of America has remained a mirage.

It appears that the terrorists and kidnappers operate as they deem fit, and only return captives if they feel like doing so, or has collected huge amount in ransom. Meanwhile, the government of Bola Tinubu continues to treat the killers as ‘our brothers’ and ‘prodigal sons’ at the detriment of the victims, who have died violently without compensation.

A cross-section of Nigerians have voiced out their opinions, noting that everyone is tired of Tinubu condolence message and expression of shock and sadness, saying that it’s now or never for Nigeria to be rescued from the hands of violent criminals and terrorists.

It’s sad that General Rabe Abubakar had to die in the brutal custody of terrorists, whom he had insisted ‘no longer posed the threat they once did’.

At the back of every narrative however, is the steps to take to restore dignity and respect for human life in Nigeria.

LIFE AND TIMES OF GENERAL RABE ABUBAKAR (RETD)

Rabe Abubakar was born on April 7, 1965 and hailed from Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State. Although publicly available biographies indicate that he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History before joining the Nigerian Army, the university he attended cannot be independently verified from available records.

The late general built his career largely away from public attention. Before becoming the defence spokesperson, he spent years in military service, rising through the ranks and serving in various command and administrative capacities.

He served as the Coordinator of the Joint Media Centre at the Headquarters of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI) in Lagos, and Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at Nigerian Army Welfare Limited.

Rabe Abubakar also attended numerous professional and military courses, including the Company Amphibious Course at the National Defence College in China. Outside his military duties, he enjoyed jogging, badminton and reading. He was married and had children.

By the time he was appointed Director of Defence Information in August 2015, he was already a seasoned officer entrusted with one of the most sensitive public-facing roles in the military hierarchy.

The appointment came at a critical moment. Nigeria was intensifying military operations against Boko Haram, while public confidence in security institutions was under scrutiny, and the Defence Headquarters, perhaps, needed a spokesperson capable of articulating military strategy, managing public expectations, and responding to growing international attention.

Upon taking office, he emphasised cooperation among security agencies, the media and the public in confronting terrorism. He repeatedly argued that the battle against insurgency was not solely a military contest but also an information war.

“You know that terrorists thrive on information and hence there is also the need to bring a counter communication and information strategy,” he had said.

His arrival coincided with the early months of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, when military authorities sought to project renewed momentum against Boko Haram after years of devastating attacks across the North-east.

In the months that followed, Mr Abubakar emerged as one of the military’s most visible public representatives. Daily briefings, press statements and media appearances transformed him from a relatively unknown officer into a prominent national figure.

Rabe Abubakar, who succeeded Chris Olukolade, a major general, as defence spokesperson, left that office in March 2017 and handed over to John Enenche.

He was subsequently redeployed to the army headquarters from where he bowed out of service.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has urged Nigerians to be careful of those trying to kidnap for ransom.

Akpabio argued on Tuesday that those behind kidnapping are perpetuating the activity to create an impression that Nigeria is not safe.

Speaking in Abuja during the commissioning of road projects to mark President Bola Tinubu’s third year anniversary, Akpabio said some of the president’s critics have resorted to paying youths to cause mayhem.

Akpabio accused Tinubu’s critics of focusing on insecurity instead of policy and infrastructure.

“Minister you said that people claimed that nothing is happening in Nigeria under the administration of President Tinubu. If they did not say that, how will they go for election? he asked rhetorically.

“If you realize what is happening recently, when they realized that they can’t talk about projects, performance, good laws, transformation in the Petroleum industry, subsidy removal that have been promised Nigerians for decades, they can no longer talk about the high-rise buildings in Abuja such as the NRS building, they resorted to paying young people and recruiting them to cause mayhem in the country.

“Be very vigilant and be careful about people trying to kidnap for ransom. They are kidnapping in order to give the impression that Nigeria is not safe.

“Our men and women in uniform have done tremendously well but many people will not know and that is why I keep saying that the devil you see today, you will soon see them no more.

“Elections will come and go; elections will never be our end; we will see the end of elections; it will never see our end,” he said.