What I know about Dadiyatta's disappearance

The former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has claimed that Abubakar Idris—popularly known as Dadiyata—was abducted from his Kaduna residence by police officers dispatched from Kano State.

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Addressing long-standing allegations on Arise Television on Friday, Mr El-Rufai stated that Mr Dadiyatta was never a critic of his administration, as has been widely speculated. Instead, he stated that the activist was a vocal critic of the former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje.

“Three years after he was abducted, a policeman who was posted from Kano to Ekiti State confessed to someone that they were sent from Kano to abduct Dadiyata and that the officer was worried about that. That is all I know,” Mr El-Rufai stated.

Mr El-Rufai maintained that the disappearance is not a Kaduna State issue, despite the incident occurring within its borders.

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He argued that the state could not have provided specific protection because they were unaware of his friction with the Kano State Government.

Mr El-Rufai challenged Amnesty International’s description of Dadiyata as a “fierce critic” of the Kaduna State Government. He urged researchers to examine Mr Dadiyata’s social media timeline, which remains available for scrutiny.

According to Mr El-Rufai, Mr Dadiyata—a member of the Kwankwasiyya movement—focused his criticisms entirely on the Kano State Government.

“We only learned of his existence after his family reported his abduction,” El-Rufai added.

“Our investigation, based on family accounts, suggested the abductors came from Kano. The Kano State Government should be questioned regarding Dadiyata’s disappearance, not Kaduna.”

The disappearance of Dadiyatta

On 2 August, 2019, Dadiyata a 34-year-old lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, was intercepted by unidentified armed men as he drove into his compound in Barnawa, Kaduna State.

READ ALSO: Security agents attempt to arrest El-Rufai at Abuja airport – Aide

Mr Dadiyata was a well-known social media influencer and a staunch supporter of former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Since his disappearance, his family and various human rights organisations have filed multiple lawsuits.

In 2020, the Federal High Court in Kaduna ordered the State Security Service (SSS) and other security agencies to produce him or release him, but the agencies denied having him in their custody.

Amnesty International and other global watchdogs have classified his case as an enforced disappearance. For over seven years, his whereabouts have remained unknown, and no group has officially claimed responsibility for his disappearance.