Fresh controversy has emerged over the unresolved disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, as two former northern governors publicly traded blame over the five-year-old case.
The debate intensified after Nasir El-Rufai, speaking during an interview on Arise Television, distanced himself and the Kaduna State Government from the 2019 abduction. He suggested that Dadiyata’s online criticism was largely directed at the Kano State administration under Abdullahi Ganduje.
Dadiyata, a university lecturer who lived in Kaduna and taught in Katsina State, was abducted on August 2, 2019, by unidentified gunmen as he arrived at his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna. Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown, fueling public outcry and repeated calls for accountability.
El-Rufai maintained that he had no prior knowledge of the social media commentator before the incident was reported to the police. According to him, Dadiyata was known more for his criticism of the Kano government than of Kaduna authorities.
He further referenced what he described as a confession made years later by a police officer allegedly claiming that operatives were sent from Kano to carry out the abduction. The claim, however, has not been independently verified.
In response, Ganduje strongly rejected the allegation. In a statement issued by his former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, the former Kano governor described the accusations as baseless and politically motivated.
Ganduje argued that the abduction occurred within Kaduna State and questioned why responsibility was being redirected to Kano. He also challenged the consistency of El-Rufai’s comments, noting what he described as contradictions between professed ignorance of Dadiyata and detailed claims about the alleged perpetrators.
Beyond the political exchanges, Dadiyata’s disappearance remains unresolved. His family and supporters continue to seek answers, while the case stands as one of Nigeria’s most prominent unresolved abduction cases involving a government critic.
As the political blame game resurfaces, observers say the central issue remains unchanged: the fate of a missing citizen and the need for credible investigation and closure for his family.