Abubakar Idris, a lecturer and activist popularly known as Dadiyata, would be deemed dead by Nigerian law on August 2 if he is not found before then.
Since going missing on August 2, 2019, when armed men ambushed and abducted him as he drove into his compound in Barnawa, Kaduna State, the then 34-year-old lecturer has not been seen in public.
Following years of speculation, advocacy and finger-pointing, the clock continues to wind down as the police have yet to provide updates on recent leads.
On February 14, former governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai claimed during an interview with Arise Television that policemen arrived in Kaduna from Kano State to abduct the lecturer.
El-Rufai said that Dadiyata was a vocal critic of Abdullahi Ganduje, the former governor of Kano.
“Three years after he was abducted, a policeman who was posted from Kano to Ekiti State confessed to someone that they were sent from Kano to abduct Dadiyata and that the officer was worried about that. That is all I know,” Mr El-Rufai said.
“Our investigation, based on family accounts, suggested the abductors came from Kano. The Kano State Government should be questioned regarding Dadiyata’s disappearance, not Kaduna.”
For several years, it was believed that the former Kaduna governor was involved in Dadiyata’s disappearance, but following his denial, the police have not issued a statement to address the former governor’s allegations.
Within a week of El-Rufai’s claims, Muhammed Musa, who is said to be a former aide to former Zamfara State governor Bello Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence, said on his Facebook page that twin policemen Hussaini Gimba and Hassan Gimba detained him at Joint Security Task Force Operation Yaki’s office in Kaduna State in 2021, where he met with Dadiyata.
FIJ interviewed him, and some of his claims gave the case a new development.
Musa said, “Presido, the leader of the cells, was the one who gave me information about Dadiyata. I wanted to give Dadiyata food, but he warned me that if the twin officers found me giving him food, I would be in trouble.
“I briefly spoke with him one day, and he told me his name. I asked where his relatives were. The next day, Hussaini asked me, ‘We have one suspect there; did you speak with him?’ I said no.
“They then turned toPresidoand asked him, ‘Are you seeing Musa speaking with that guy (Dadiyata)? He said yes.
“The fact is that, if you were a special suspect, no police officer, including the CROs (charge room officers), would talk about you. If you had any problem, the CROs would inform the officer who detained you, and they would come to attend to you.
“Around 1 am at night, Hussaini Gimba came alone and took Dadiyata away from his cell. I know them. I can easily identify them. I never set my eyes on him until I left Kaduna.
“They tortured me, dehumanised me and even threatened to kill. Some days after taking Dadiyata away, Officer Hussaini Gimba brazenly threatened that if I did not cooperate with them, they would kill me like they killed Dadiyata. They did not kill him in my presence, but they threatened to kill me like they killed him.
“I was shocked. I was not expecting that, but he said it, and I feared for my life more. I knew my safety was not guaranteed in their hands, but that statement reinforced it.
“After I was released, I saw his pictures on social media where people were saying he was still missing. With his pictures, I knew he was the one I saw and spoke with at Operation Yaki’s station.
“And there were others who were killed, too. I even contacted their families after my release. Some spent one year, some two years, others more, without being charged in court. I am only waiting for the authorities to invite me so that I can explain everything. I am ready.”
Following a petition by Abba Hikima, a human rights lawyer, Tunji Disu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) set up a panel to probe the matter, but at press time, they had not invited Musa.
On Wednesday, FIJ called Iniedu Anietie, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, but his phone number was switched off. Aliyu Giwa, New Media Officer of the police, told FIJ via telephone that he would find out about the matter and get back, but at press time, he had not.