Photo source: The Guardian News Nigeria
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Claim: Former Nigerian Senator Dino Melaye shared an image claiming armed bandits returned retired Major General Rabe Abubakar’s body to his family in Katsina before retreating unchallenged.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA found no evidence of the alleged handover, and the image shared with the claim is AI-generated.
Full Text
The death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, has continued to generate public concern following reports that he died while in captivity. General Rabe was abducted alongside his wife in Katsina State on May 30, 2026.
Against this backdrop, former Nigerian senator Dino Melaye shared an image on Facebook, alleging that heavily armed bandits delivered the late general’s body to his family before leaving unchallenged.
The post shared on June 14, 2026, was captioned, “Heavily armed bandits handed over the body of General Rabe yesterday morning in Katsina and left for neighboring forest of Matazu, unchallenged! What country???”
The image (archived here) also contained a text in Hausa claiming that the kidnappers released the general’s wife while handing over his remains to the family.
As of June 14, 2026, the post had generated more than 14,900 reactions, 4,300 comments and 2,000 shares.
The claim sparked strong reactions among users.
One user, A-Sani Charity Hja, wrote: “May Allah bring an end to this oppressive Tinubu administration.”
“The military always flexes muscle in the southeast where nothing is happening,” another user, Ozoms Ikewete, commented.
However, some users questioned the authenticity of the image.
Luke de Young wrote, “I guess this is AI-generated.”
Given the sensitivity of the claim and its potential to shape public perception of the country’s security response, DUBAWA investigated.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a manual visual examination of the image. The review revealed several inconsistencies commonly associated with AI-generated images.
For instance, many of the individuals depicted in the scene appear disconnected from one another. Their gaze directions do not align naturally, and there is little evidence of interaction among people who are supposedly participating in an emotionally charged exchange involving the return of a deceased person.
DUBAWA also observed that the barrel of a firearm carried by one of the suspected bandits appeared to pass through the coffin, a distortion commonly associated with AI-generated or manipulated pictures or videos.
Additionally, the woman portrayed as the late general’s wife does not appear to match photographs of his wife seen in previously circulated videos released during their captivity.
To further assess the image, DUBAWA subjected the image to Hive AI, an artificial intelligence detection tool.
The analysis returned a score indicating a 68.2 per cent likelihood that the image contains AI-generated or manipulated content.
Additionally, ImageWhisperer, another AI-detection tool, flagged the image as likely AI-generated, further raising concerns about its authenticity.
DUBAWA then examined available reports concerning the death of the General.
On June 13, 2026, the Katsina State Government officially announced the retired general’s death in captivity.
According to a statement signed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu’azu, the retired officer died from complications related to diabetes and hypertension while being held by bandits.
The statement confirmed his death but made no mention of bandits openly returning his body to family members.
Similarly, the Defence Headquarters, in a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, had explained that extensive efforts had been made to secure his release and pledged to intensify operations against criminal groups.
However, the statement did not indicate that armed bandits physically delivered the body to relatives before departing unhindered.
DUBAWA also reviewed media reports published after the announcement of the general’s death. As of June 14, 2026, reports available indicated that the late general’s widow remains in captivity, not released as claimed.
While authorities confirmed that Major General Rabe Abubakar died in captivity, DUBAWA found no credible report from the Defence Headquarters, Katsina State Government, security agencies or reputable media organisations supporting the claim that heavily armed bandits openly handed over his body and left without resistance.
In a DW Hausa interview, Ishak Rabe, one of the late General Rabe’s sons, said the family had no information about the circumstances surrounding its retrieval.
“It is only the state government that can explain how the body was recovered,” he said.
Conclusion
DUBAWA found that the image used to support the narrative that bandits openly handed over the body of General Rabe is AI-generated, and no authoritative source has so far stated how the body was retrieved. Therefore, the claim is misleading.
