Major-General Rabe Abubakar: The Wounds We Share
I have just read the statement by the Katsina State Government confirming the passing of Major-General Rabe Abubakar, rtd, a former military spokesman, while in captivity. Even though the statement says that “the deceased… died a natural death from complications of diabetes and hypertension,” this does not erase the horror of the circumstances in which he spent his final days. What haunts us is not only the manner of his passing, but the tragedy of a life of service ending in the hands of criminals who have exploited the dysfunctions of our society.
What happened to the General is a tragedy of immeasurable dimension. To return from a career that required putting one’s life on the line for one’s country, only to become a captive of ragtag criminals, is a fate no patriot deserves. It is a cruel reminder that this weather of insecurity is one we all breathe and feel. It bears our names, our faces, our families, and the histories of service behind its victims.
There is no dignified way to avoid the truth that, as a nation and as a government, we have let down the General and many others who have met similar fates. This does not take away from the efforts I know were ongoing to secure his release or rescue, nor from the renewed operations and proactive steps being taken to confront these criminal networks. But grief must never be managed with denial. Something more radical, more coordinated, and more sustained must be done to break this chain of tragic events. Contrary to the assumptions of some, nobody is immune.
What happened to the General is a cautionary tale for all of us in government today. The General, who once served in one of the most protected institutions in the country, could never have imagined such an ending. That is why it remains baffling when anyone assumes that those in public office are insulated from the failures and fractures of the nation. The same roads, the same communities, the same future, and the same consequences await us all.
As a northerner, I am doubly troubled by the direction in which our region has been dragged. No honest person can claim ignorance of how we got here. If we are even more honest, we must admit that the untrained, abandoned, and hopeless children on our streets are being turned into cannon fodder for present and future dysfunctions. Even if banditry and terrorism are defeated, a vulnerable demographic left without education, discipline, opportunity, or hope will remain available for other invidious agendas against the Nigerian state.
This is the part that should frighten us most. We once spoke of building human capital. Today, too many of our people are trapped in the desperate arithmetic of survival.
The government has the primary and non-negotiable responsibility to protect lives and property. But no government policy, however well designed, can fully overcome a society that refuses to confront parental irresponsibility, the abandonment of children, hostility to education in some communities, and the casual normalisation of neglect. Security is not sustained by bullets alone. It is sustained by schools, families, values, livelihoods, justice, and a population civilised enough to reject the temptations of nihilism.
And yet, we cannot afford to lose hope. Despair is exactly what these criminals want to manufacture. They want citizens to stop believing in the possibility of order, to stop trusting the state, and to stop imagining a country that can still be rescued. We must refuse them that victory. We must mourn the dead, demand better from the living, and insist that the Nigerian state still has the duty and capacity to reclaim every inch of its authority.
May Allah forgive him, grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, and comfort his family. My condolences also go to all families who have lost loved ones to this madness. May their grief not be in vain, and may our country find the courage to end this tragedy.
We just had a lengthy discussion with a respected elder brother from Northern Nigeria who lives in the diaspora about the surge in insecurity across the region.
He raised a very important point, asking that beyond lamentation, what can we do, within the law, to help curb the situation?
He observed that whenever such incidents occur, we express our frustrations for a few days and then move on. In contrast, he cited the recent Ibadan incident and highlighted how their influencers and the community leaders responded with concrete actions, which ultimately produced the desired results.
He suggested a number of ideas, including peaceful protests, policy briefs, and other forms of civic engagement.
I promised him that I would bring the issue to the public so that we can gather contributions and ideas on how to move forward.
So, what do you think we, as a people, both at home and in the diaspora, can do to contribute to addressing the problem of insecurity in Arewa?
🚨BREAKING: Didier Drogba says if the USA didn't want other Countries citizens in the US they shouldn't have bid for the Fifa world cup 2026 and says denial of Iran supporters and Somali referee Omar Artan is totally unacceptable, Football should be separated from politics
"When a country bids to host the biggest football tournament on the planet, it knows exactly what comes with it. Players, referees, officials and supporters from every corner of the world are part of the package."
"I look at the situation involving Somali referee Omar Artan and I feel disappointed for him. FIFA selected him because he earned that opportunity on merit, yet he was unable to participate after being denied entry."
"Then you hear about Iran's football federation claiming that its supporter ticket allocation was withdrawn just days before the tournament. If true, that leaves ordinary fans paying the price for issues that have nothing to do with football."
"The people suffering are not politicians. They're supporters who save money for years hoping to follow their national team at a World Cup."
"Football has always been one of the few things capable of bringing different cultures together. The moment politics starts deciding who gets to be part of that experience, everyone loses."
"I played in World Cups and international tournaments. The beauty of those events is seeing supporters from dozens of countries sharing the same streets, the same stadiums and the same passion."
"No fan should be judged because of their nationality, and no referee should miss the biggest moment of his career because of political circumstances beyond his control."
"FIFA, governments and football authorities need to find solutions because the headlines right now are about visas, travel restrictions and disputes instead of the football itself."
"The World Cup should belong to the world. That's what makes it special. The game must always come first, and politics should never be allowed to overshadow football's greatest celebration."
I have learned that the lawless Department of State Services (DSS) has arbitrarily and unlawfully detained a social media influencer known as Sarki @Waspapping_.
He was reportedly arrested over comments he made about the Israel–Iran war, particularly criticisms directed at the State of Israel over its egregious warmongering and crimes against humanity in Gaza and elsewhere.
No Nigerian citizen should be arrested or detained simply for expressing opinions about the actions of foreign governments or commenting on ongoing international conflicts. Freedom of expression must apply equally to discussions about global affairs and acts of war involving foreign interests.
The DSS must therefore immediately release Sarki @Waspapping_ and end this unlawful detention.
Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while citizens are arrested for expressing views on international events.
#FreeWasPappingNOW.
Whether we like to admit it or not, the Nigerian government has failed the average citizen. It’s unbelievable that in 2026 Nigerians are still struggling for basic necessities of life.
The fact that we still don’t have stable electricity, clean water, and adequate security in 2026 is a clear failure of governance.
US Congressman, Scott Perry confessed USAID funded Boko Haram under Barack Obama, which carried out terror attacks in Cameroon 🇨🇲, Nigeria 🇳🇬, Chad 🇹🇩, and Niger 🇳🇪.
BREAKING: China is pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
There is one problem. Iran did not close it.
Seven insurance companies in London did.
China buys 80% of Iran’s shipped oil. Beijing has a $400 billion, 25-year cooperation agreement with Tehran. China is Iran’s economic lifeline. If any country on earth has leverage over Iran, it is China. And China is now using that leverage to demand the Strait reopens.
But the Strait was not closed by a sovereign decision. It was closed by the withdrawal of reinsurance capacity from five to ten firms, mostly in London, backstopping twelve P&I clubs that cover 90% of global tonnage. Iran did not order those firms to withdraw. Iran cannot order them to reinstate. Neither can China.
Even if Tehran capitulates entirely tonight and the IRGC stands down, not a single reinsurer reinstates Gulf war risk coverage on a phone call from Beijing. Reinstatement requires rebuilt risk models, voyage-by-voyage re-underwriting, repriced treaty capacity, and a threat environment that actuaries can quantify. None of that exists while 440.9 kilograms of weapons-grade uranium remains unaccounted for and the IRGC is still launching drones at Oman.
China has leverage over Iran. China has zero leverage over Lloyd’s of London.
This is the part nobody is modelling. The country with the most to lose and the most leverage over the belligerent cannot fix the mechanism that actually closed the Strait. Because the mechanism is not geopolitical. It is actuarial. And actuaries do not take calls from the Politburo.
https://t.co/ULBgEzZ3A8