Seven Years of Silence, One Family's Agony: Who Knows What Happened to Dadiyata and Who Must Now Answer?

The Night a Voice Was Silenced
It has been nearly seven years since masked gunmen seized Abubakar Idris universally known by his online name, Dadiyata from his home in Kaduna's Barnawa neighborhood on the evening of August 2, 2019. Seven years since his wife watched helplessly as her husband was dragged away. Seven years since his children last saw their father.

On the night he vanished, Dadiyata arrived home at about 1 am and was ambushed by gunmen who drove him away in his own BMW. It was the last time anyone saw him.

Dadiyata was 34 at the time of his abduction, married to Khadijah Ahmad for six years and living in the Barnawa area of Kaduna with his wife and two daughters. The man was active on social media, frequently criticizing former president Muhammadu Buhari and making pointed commentary about powerful political figures in northern Nigeria.

A Confession That Led Nowhere
In February 2026, the case exploded back into national consciousness when a former governor made a stunning revelation. On Friday, February 13, 2026, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai sat for an interview on Arise Television and confirmed what many had long suspected that Dadiyata was likely abducted by state actors. More troubling still, he revealed that a police officer allegedly confessed to the crime three years after the fact, yet no arrests were made, no investigation was launched, and no justice was pursued.

El-Rufai referred to a police officer's alleged confession: "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."

This is a confession of extraordinary gravity. A serving police officer an agent of the Nigerian state allegedly admitted to kidnapping a citizen on political orders. And yet, for years, this information was apparently treated as gossip rather than a criminal lead.

El-Rufai insisted that Dadiyata was not his problem, claiming he was a critic of the Kano State government under Abdullahi Ganduje, not Kaduna. "It was Ganduje that was his problem," El-Rufai stated. "I didn't even know he existed until he was abducted." Yet this defence collapses under the most basic scrutiny. Dadiyata lived in Kaduna. He was abducted in Kaduna. As the chief security officer of Kaduna State at the time, El-Rufai bore constitutional responsibility for every resident's safety.

El-Rufai's claims about Kano's involvement also ring hollow when examined alongside the documented timeline. Within days of Dadiyata's abduction, El-Rufai's own son Bashir posted a tweet since deleted but widely documented that framed the abduction as a justified consequence for the victim's criticism. This was not the tweet of someone who had never heard of Dadiyata. It suggested intimate knowledge of both Dadiyata's activities and the circumstances of his removal.

Ganduje Pushes Back But Questions Remain

Former Kano State governor and former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje strongly rejected El-Rufai's claims, describing them as "reckless, unfounded, and a clear attempt to shift responsibility for an incident that occurred in Kaduna State." His spokesperson questioned why any alleged confession implicating Kano was never formally presented to security authorities, insisting that "serious accusations must be backed by verifiable evidence not political rhetoric."

The two former governors now point fingers at each other while a family waits, and a body has never been found.

A Shocking New Allegation: "They Killed Dadiyata in My Presence"

Even more chilling testimony has now emerged. A former aide to ex-Zamfara Governor Matawalle alleged that police officers threatened him with death, claiming that the same fate had befallen Dadiyata. He stated: "That was the main reason in all the video clips they recorded on me under duress, I never disclosed our relationship with him because they threatened to kill me as they killed Dadiyata and Saminu S/Fada Gusau amongst others in my presence at Operations Yaki Kaduna."

If this testimony is credible, it is the most explicit claim yet that Dadiyata is dead killed in custody by Nigerian security operatives, his fate concealed for years through fear and intimidation.

The DSS Reopens the Case But Is It Enough?

The Department of State Services has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris and is set to invite suspects for questioning. A security source disclosed that the DSS recently seized El-Rufai's passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to prevent him from travelling abroad while investigations are ongoing. The Service was also reported to have been set to invite El-Rufai's sons for questioning over the matter.

With the DSS now stepping in to question suspects, many people are hoping this could finally bring some truth to light. However, authorities have not yet shared full details about who was invited or what new information they have. Nigerians and international observers are watching closely and skeptically. The DSS is itself a security agency that has been accused of arbitrary detention and rights abuses. The question being asked by civil society is whether this investigation is a genuine search for truth or a political exercise.

The Streets Demand Answers
Kaduna youths stormed the Government House in February 2026, demanding a probe of El-Rufai. One organizer, Joseph Chori, described Dadiyata's disappearance as "an open wound." "A family still waits. Kaduna still asks: what happened?" he said.

Amnesty International pledged to continue advocating for Dadiyata and others who may have suffered similar fates, warning of increasing attacks on civil liberties in Nigeria, including online harassment, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation of journalists and activists. "Justice delayed must not become justice denied. Someone must be held accountable. Six years is enough. Dadiyata's disappearance sends a message 'speak, and you vanish.' That must not be allowed to stand."

Free His Wife from Limbo Give Khadijah Her Life Back

While powerful men trade accusations and investigators inch forward, one person has borne the full weight of this disappearance alone.

Dadiyata's wife, Khadija Lame, broke down in tears as she recalled how their children kept asking for their father. "They ask me every day, 'Where is Daddy?' And I have no answers," she said. "Six years of pain. Six years of helplessness. Six years without closure."

His mother died without ever knowing what became of her son. His father's health has deteriorated under the weight of unanswered questions. His wife raises their children alone, unable to provide the closure they desperately need.

Ambassador-designate Reno Omokri, who visited Khadijah at her residence, appealed to the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, for "whatever he can do for them to help their living conditions, probably relocate them, help their education, or help the mother with a job. Nigeria owes a duty of care to this family for what has happened to them."

Khadija Lame is not merely a widow in waiting. She is a woman suspended between grief and hope, unable to mourn, unable to move on, unable to give her daughters the answers they deserve. The Nigerian state has failed her at every turn. The least it owes her now is truth and justice.

The Clock Is Ticking on Justice
Under Section 164(1) of Nigeria's Evidence Act 2011, if Dadiyata's friends and family do not hear from him within seven years, he can be legally presumed dead. That deadline falls in August 2026 just months away.

But presumed dead is not justice. A legal presumption does not name a perpetrator. It does not punish those who ordered the abduction. It does not tell a daughter what happened to her father, or give a wife the right to grieve properly.

The Nigerian government, the DSS, and every political figure who holds a piece of this puzzle must act now before August 2026 turns a missing man into a statistic, and a family's living nightmare into a permanently sealed cold case.

Dadiyata deserves justice. Khadija deserves freedom from this limbo. Nigeria deserves the truth.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

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