The Department of State Services (DSS) has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Kaduna-based academic and social media commentator, Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, nearly seven years after he was abducted by unidentified gunmen.
Security sources confirmed that the agency has begun inviting persons of interest for questioning as part of renewed efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding his abduction and determine his fate.
The development follows renewed public attention on the case after recent comments by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who denied any involvement and suggested that Dadiyata was more critical of the Kano State government than that of Kaduna. Former Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, however, disputed the claim, insisting that the missing blogger was widely known for his criticism of the Kaduna administration.
Amid the revived probe, reports indicate that investigators are examining allegations linking El-Rufai and two of his sons to the case, although no formal charges have been announced. Sources also alleged that the former governor’s international passport was seized by security operatives to restrict foreign travel while inquiries continue, a claim yet to receive official confirmation from authorities.
Dadiyata’s wife, Kadijah Idris, has also renewed public appeals for answers, recounting how armed men seized her husband outside their residence in Kaduna on August 2, 2019, as he returned home. She said the family has lived in anguish and uncertainty since then, not knowing whether he is alive or dead.
“We just want to know what happened to him,” she said in a recent interview circulated online, urging government and security agencies to provide closure for the family.
Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma in Katsina State, was known for his outspoken social media commentary on politics and governance, particularly in northern Nigeria. His disappearance sparked nationwide outrage in 2019 and repeated calls by civil society organisations and human rights groups for an independent investigation, but no conclusive findings were made public.
The reopening of the case marks the first major investigative action by authorities in several years and has revived public debate over accountability, enforced disappearances and the safety of critics in Nigeria’s civic space.
As the DSS proceeds with the fresh probe, observers say the outcome may determine whether one of Nigeria’s most prominent unresolved abduction cases finally reaches closure.
Abuja Network News
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