A retired senior Nigerian military officer and his wife, who were kidnapped last week in the northwestern Katsina state, have appealed for help from the government for their release.

Major General Abubakar Rabe and his wife were abducted from their car while travelling and efforts are ongoing to rescue them.

Their abductors have released a video in which the couple appealed to the government for urgent intervention to secure their release.

In the four-minute video circulating on social media, both were seen standing and reading out the demands of their captors.

The wife stated that their abductors were demanding the release of three of their members from police custody and the return of livestock allegedly confiscated from them.

She appealed to the government of Katsina State and leaders of five local government areas to comply with the demands in order to secure their release.

The retired general also briefly spoke in the video, calling for calm and urging efforts towards peace, adding that the abductors had expressed willingness to engage in dialogue.

No ransom demand was mentioned in the video.