An old disappearance returns to headlines
The unresolved disappearance of social media commentator Abubakar Idris, widely known as Dadiyata, has resurfaced in Nigeria’s political discourse following remarks by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
During a television interview, El-Rufai stated that a police officer allegedly confessed that operatives from Kano were sent to abduct Dadiyata in 2019. He said this information came to him years after the incident.
Ganduje calls the claim reckless
Responding through a statement signed by former Kano Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje dismissed the allegation as unfounded and politically motivated.
The statement emphasised that Dadiyata lived and operated in Kaduna State, where he was abducted by unidentified gunmen on 2 August 2019, and argued that responsibility for security at the time lay with the Kaduna State Government and relevant federal agencies.
“It is difficult to reconcile a claim of having no prior knowledge of the individual with simultaneously making detailed assertions about who was responsible,” the statement noted.
The 2019 abduction remains unresolved
Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma and a vocal political commentator, was reportedly intercepted by armed men as he drove into his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna.
Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown. In 2020, a Federal High Court in Kaduna ordered security agencies to produce him or release him, but authorities denied having him in custody.
Human rights groups have described the case as an enforced disappearance, and his family continues to demand answers.
When allegations cross state lines
El-Rufai’s remarks shifted attention from Kaduna to Kano, suggesting that the activist’s criticisms were directed more at the Kano administration at the time.
Ganduje’s response rejects that narrative and frames the accusation as an attempt to transfer responsibility.
Such cross-state allegations introduce fresh political tension into a case that has long symbolised accountability gaps in Nigeria’s security framework.
The institutional stakes behind the rhetoric
Enforced disappearance cases carry serious legal and diplomatic implications under both Nigerian constitutional guarantees and international human rights obligations.
Public accusations without verified investigative findings can complicate official inquiries, influence public perception and potentially affect judicial processes.
Analysts warn that politicising unresolved cases risks overshadowing the core objective: establishing facts through transparent, lawful investigation.
Closure remains distant as politics intensifies
Nearly seven years after Dadiyata’s abduction, no official explanation has been provided.
If credible evidence emerges, it could trigger criminal investigation and institutional review.
If the matter remains confined to political exchanges, the case risks deepening mistrust in state accountability mechanisms as Nigeria moves closer to another electoral cycle.
This is IDNN. Independent. Digital. Uncompromising.
