The bandits at least knew…- TheConclaveNg

Conflicting claims are clouding the abduction of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari and his wife, as sources now doubt initial reports blaming notorious bandit commander Muhammadu Fulani.

The couple was abducted on Saturday after gunmen ambushed their vehicle on the Marabar Musawa-Kafinsoli road near Zakin Baure village. Their driver was injured before the attackers dragged them into a nearby forest.

—“It’s not his style” — Locals reject Fulani theory—

Initial intelligence linked the attack to Muhammadu Fulani, known for violent operations around Kuki and Sayaya. But security sources in Matazu and Batsari say the hit did not fit his pattern.

Residents describe Fulani as commanding “large-scale, high-visibility assaults intended to maximize fear.” The ambush was small, targeted a single vehicle and showed “little signs of pre-planning.”

“This doesn’t seem like his style,” a local source said. “Its operations are usually massive and coordinated. In this case a small group was targeting a single vehicle.”

—Was it just an opportunistic crime?—

Doubts grew after a military operation earlier this year killed several Fulani fighters and freed dozens of hostages, crippling its network.

Even more shocking: Sources say the gunmen may not know who they have captured.

“From what we understand, they didn’t even realize they had kidnapped a retired general. If they had known, the operation would probably have been very different,” said a Sayaya resident.

—Northwest banditry is fragmenting—

Security analysts say the attack reflects a new trend: Smaller, less structured gangs now operate alongside or independently of established bandit networks. This makes kidnappings harder to predict and harder to pin on a boss.

Security agencies have not confirmed any group. Search and rescue operations for General Batsari and his wife are underway.

[Adapted/rejigged from The Star report]

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