The Senate on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the country’s worsening security situation, warning that the abduction and killing of retired military officers by terrorists and criminal gangs represents a dangerous escalation of Nigeria’s security crisis.
The Red Chamber said the growing pattern of attacks on serving and retired military personnel poses a serious threat to national stability, public confidence and the country’s security architecture.
The concern followed a motion moved by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua during plenary over the death of retired Major General Alkali Abubakar, a former Director of Defence Information, who was abducted alongside his wife in Katsina State on May 30, 2026, and later died in captivity.
Adopting the motion, senators observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late military officer and resolved to convey their condolences to his family and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The Senate described the late general’s death as more than a personal tragedy, saying it reflected the growing threat posed by insecurity across the country.
According to the lawmakers, “The death of retired Major General Alkali Abubakar and others in the custody of terrorists represents not only personal tragedies but also a painful national loss and a stark reminder of the scale and persistence of insecurity confronting the nation.”
The Senate also highlighted what it described as a disturbing pattern of attacks targeting serving and retired military personnel.
Lawmakers cited several incidents recorded between January 2023 and May 2026, including the killing of retired Major General Richard Duru in Owerri after a reported ransom payment of $50,000, the murder of retired Brigadier General O.M. Harlord Udokwere in Abuja, the 56-day captivity of former National Youth Service Corps Director-General, retired Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga, and the death in captivity of retired Major Aja in Kogi State.
The Senate warned that the increasing frequency of such attacks marks a troubling shift in the country’s security challenges.
In its resolution, the Senate stated, “The increasing frequency with which serving and retired military personnel are being targeted by criminal and terrorist groups represents a dangerous evolution in the nation’s security challenges.”
It added that many of the victims previously occupied sensitive intelligence, operational and command positions, making the attacks a matter of national security rather than isolated criminal incidents.
The upper chamber stressed that the insecurity now extends beyond individual victims and has far-reaching implications for national unity, democratic stability and public confidence in government.
The Senate noted, “The constitutional responsibility of government to protect lives and property remains fundamental to national unity, democratic stability, economic growth and public trust in governance.”
While commending the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies for their sacrifices in combating insecurity, lawmakers called for urgent improvements in intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, the deployment of technology and stronger community engagement to prevent future attacks.
The Senate further observed that the persistent wave of kidnappings and killings across the country has resulted in deaths, prolonged captivity, ransom payments, emotional trauma, economic hardship and psychological distress for victims, their families and the nation, underscoring the urgent need for a more coordinated and effective national security response.
