Following the recent death of Major-General Abubakar Rabe (rtd) in kidnappers’ custody after weeks in captivity, rights groups have condemned the development, calling for the arrest and prosecution of all those behind the crime and other kidnap networks.
  
Leading the call, the National Coalition Against Mass Killings, Extra-Judicial Killings, Mob Actions and Impunity (NCAMKI) expressed shock and sadness over the incident, describing it as another painful reminder of Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
   
According to NCAMKI, his death was not just a personal loss but a national loss that forces every Nigerian to ask who is safe, if a senior military officer could be abducted and die in captivity.
   
The group noted that farmers, traders, students, workers, women, children and the elderly now live in fear, as the daily threat of kidnap, violent crimes and insecurity has become the nation’s reality.
   
In a statement, NCAMKI insisted that no Nigerian should live under constant fear of abduction, violence or impunity, adding that a nation where citizens cannot travel, farm, work or sleep safely cannot achieve peace or development.
   
The group called on security agencies to launch a professional, intelligence-driven operation to identify, arrest and prosecute all those behind this crime and other kidnap networks.
   
It also called on federal and state governments to tackle the root causes of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, weak institutions and loss of public trust, to ensure that all suspects face trial under constitutional and human rights standards, with justice swift and fair.
   
NCAMKI further called for a lawful investigation, justice, and institutional reforms, while the National Assembly, civil society, and citizens should deepen the debate on policing reforms, security, and accountability.

According to the group, any reform must guarantee constitutional rights, civilian oversight, transparency and accountability. It insisted that “security without accountability breeds abuse, and accountability without security breeds vulnerability. Nigeria needs both.
   
It added that Nigeria must not surrender to fear, normalise kidnapping, or accept impunity, insisting that “the time for decisive, lawful, accountable and people-centred action is now.”
   
On its part, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) commended President Bola Tinubu for publicly rejecting the terrorists’ demand and vowing never to release their detained accomplices.
   
However, the group insisted that it was high time the federal government moved beyond declarations and launched an uncompromising national offensive against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping. According to HURIWA, the gruesome killing of a retired Nigerian Army Major-General is not merely an attack on an individual but a direct assault on the authority, sovereignty and integrity of the Nigerian State.
   
It noted that “if terrorists can abduct and kill a retired General with such audacity, then ordinary citizens are even more vulnerable to the daily reign of terror unleashed by these enemies of humanity.”
   
In a statement, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the murder of General Rabe was another painful reminder that terrorists do not seek peace, dialogue or reconciliation.
   
According to the group, barely hours after Nigerians received the shocking news of his death, reports emerged from Zamfara State that armed bandits invaded farmlands in Goron Namaye, Maradun Local Council, where they reportedly slaughtered 17 farmers and left 13 others injured.
   
HURIWA called on the National Assembly to immediately amend the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act and designate terrorism, mass kidnapping, terrorism financing, insurgency and acts of mass murder against civilians as capital offences punishable by death upon conviction.
    
It further demanded the establishment of special terrorism courts with accelerated hearing procedures and time-bound appeals to prevent convicted terrorists from exploiting endless legal delays while their victims and their families continue to suffer.
   
According to the group, the current unofficial moratorium on the implementation of death sentences should also be reviewed in the national interest, adding, “those who deliberately massacre innocent citizens, attack schools, abduct children, burn villages and wage war against the Nigerian people should face the maximum punishment provided by law after exhausting all constitutional judicial processes.
   
“Nigeria is effectively at war with forces determined to destroy lives, cripple economic activities and undermine national security. This war cannot be won through half-measures, symbolic rhetoric or periodic condemnations after each massacre.
   
Also, the Prayer and Support for the Nigerian Armed Forces and Other Security Agencies (#PASNAFOSA) has mourned the death of Major-General Abubakar.
   
In a statement by its convener, MaryAbayomi-Fatile, the group condemned the circumstances that led to the death of the military officer who devoted the greater part of his life to the service, defence and protection of Nigeria and its people, describing it as both painful and disturbing that he should become a victim of the same criminal elements threatening the peace and stability of the country.