Major General Rabe Abubakar (rtd). Photo source: PRNigeria.
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Claim: A Facebook page, Spynigeria.NG shared a post featuring the image of a young boy allegedly responsible for the abduction of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar and his wife in Katsina State.
Verdict: Insufficient Evidence! While several social media posts associate the boy with the abduction, no evidence from credible media reports or the military confirms this.
Full Text
A Facebook page, Spynigeria.NG recently shared a post (archived here) containing the photograph of a young boy. The post suggested that the boy was the bandit responsible for the abduction of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar and his wife.
The claim circulated amid widespread public concern over the kidnapping of the retired army officer and his spouse in Katsina State.
The post attracted reactions from social media users, many of whom appeared to accept the allegation as true.
For instance, a user identified as Tyokase Raphael commented, “Small băndîț boy carrying big fm 9ja soldier and wf?” while another user, Dangana Musa Sauta, wrote, “If he holds a gun and you don’t have anything in your hand, you must surrender,” reflecting how some commenters treated the claim as a factual account of events.
Given the sensitivity of the claim amid the current security situation and the potential reputational damage such allegations could cause, DUBAWA investigated the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA found that retired General Rabe and his wife were abducted along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State near Zakin Baure village.
Premium Times, Daily Trust, and PUNCH report this incident.
Subsequent videos released by the abductors showed the retired General and his wife in captivity, appealing for assistance. Reports indicated that the kidnappers demanded the release of certain detained individuals and the return of livestock allegedly seized from them.
PUNCH Newspaper reported that the kidnappers demanded the release of three individuals identified as Sani, Aminu, and Nasiru, alongside the return of livestock.
Further reports by Daily Trust linked a notorious bandit leader identified as Kachalla Muhammad to the incident. The publication reported that the suspected bandit leader had established communication with relatives of the victims.
In addition, an audio recording circulated online and was shared by the Facebook page ANN Politics. In the recording, a speaker identified as Muhammadu Kachalla discussed the circumstances surrounding the abduction and negotiations involving detained associates and seized livestock.
The Katsina State Government also confirmed that intelligence gathered by security agencies suggested the victims were deliberately targeted in a coordinated operation.
However, despite extensive media coverage of the abduction, DUBAWA found no report from any security agency, government authority, or credible news organisation identifying the boy featured in the viral Facebook post as one of the perpetrators.
We also reached the Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Onoja, for clarification regarding the identity of those responsible for the abduction. However, he declined to comment.
To further investigate the identity of the boy featured in the viral Facebook post, DUBAWA conducted a reverse image search. We traced the image to social media discussions surrounding videos released by the abductors after the incident.
DUBAWA found that an Instagram user, @temilolasobola, shared videos showing the retired General and his wife appealing for help while in captivity. Alongside the videos, the user posted the same image of the young boy, claiming he was among those who uploaded the hostage footage on TikTok.
Similarly, a verified X (formerly Twitter) account, @firstladyship, popularly known as Nefertiti, shared the image and alleged that the individual was among the persons who posted the captivity video online. The post further claimed that the group was linked to a notorious bandit leader identified as Kachalla Muhammadu, who reportedly operates within the Katsina and wider North-West corridor.
The reverse image search results also associated the photograph with reports that the individual appeared in or was connected to a video circulated on social media following the abduction of the retired army officer and his wife.
However, DUBAWA found no evidence linking the boy or establishing that he directly participated in the kidnapping.
Conclusion
There is no evidence that the boy pictured in the viral Facebook post is one of those involved in the abduction of retired General Rabe and his wife.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.
