Former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, Shehu Sani, has dismissed claims by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was responsible for the abduction of activist Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
El-Rufai, during an interview on Arise News Prime Time on Friday, alleged that Ganduje was behind the disappearance of Dadiyata, who has been missing since 2019. According to him, Kaduna State authorities were not involved in the incident.
“He (Dadiyata) is a critic of the Kano government. It was Ganduje that was his problem. Go and check his timeline. I don’t even know him,” El-Rufai said, stressing that the Kaduna government only became aware of the activist after his family reported the abduction.
“We only got a report of Dadiyata’s existence after his family reported to the police that he was abducted,” he added.
El-Rufai also referred to an alleged confession by a police officer, saying, “Three days after Dadiyata’s abduction, a policeman posted from Kano to Ekiti confessed to someone that they were sent from Kano and abducted Dadiyata, and felt bad about it.” He reiterated, “That is the only thing I know, but it was not a problem for Kaduna State.”
Reacting via his verified X account on Friday, Sani refuted the claims, insisting that Dadiyata was a known critic of the Kaduna State Government and not of Kano State or Ganduje.
“Dadiyata was an outspoken critic of the Kaduna State Government and governor and NOT of Kano State or Ganduje. He is from Kaduna and lived in Kaduna with his family. Everyone in Kaduna knows the critical views of that young man,” Sani wrote.
He added, “He was abducted from his house on the 1st of August 2019 in the Barnawa neighbourhood and his whereabouts remain unknown. Since his abduction, there was never an official statement by the Kaduna State Government and no official visit to his family.”
Sani further revealed that fear surrounded the case at the time, saying, “Everyone in Kaduna was afraid to talk about Dadiyata, including the police and the State House of Assembly. The family of Dadiyata are still around for anyone who wants to hear the truth directly from them.”
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have previously called for a thorough investigation into the activist’s disappearance.
As of the time of filing this report, no official findings had been made public regarding the circumstances surrounding Dadiyata’s abduction.
