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By Lawrence Agbo
Six years after the disappearance of popular online activist Dadiyata, whose real name is Abubakar Idris, his wife, Khadija Ahmad Lame, has called on those allegedly responsible for his kidnapping to “fear God” and return him, dead or alive.
Dadiyata, a prominent political analyst and university lecturer, disappeared in August 2019 after he was allegedly kidnapped by armed men in Kaduna State. At the time, he was 34.
According to eyewitness accounts, he was driving into his home in the Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna when he was stopped by unidentified gunmen. Khadija reported witnessing the men carry her husband away and claimed to have seen the incident from inside their house.
“We pray one day, he will come back, if he is alive or not,” she said on Thursday, during a visit by Reno Omokri, former special assistant on new media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, to the family residence in Kaduna. She added that the family continues to cling to hope despite years of uncertainty.
Following his abduction, rumours circulated about potential governmental involvement. Nevertheless, the Department of State Services (DSS) has consistently denied knowing where he is.
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The case recently came back into the spotlight after Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, claimed that Dadiyata had been kidnapped by Kano State police. The missing lecturer, according to El-Rufai, was a supporter of the previous Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduj,e rather than his administration. Ganduje denied the allegation, describing it as baseless and politically motivated.
Dadiyata was a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma in Katsina State. He was well-known on social media for his support of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations classified his situation as an enforced disappearance. His whereabouts have been unknown for almost seven years, and no group claimed responsibility.
According to Nigerian law, he can be declared dead by August 2026 if he is not found.
Dadiyata’s mother passed away at the age of 66, adding to the family’s anguish. According to her sons, Aminu and Usman, she passed away while undergoing treatment at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.
The family says it will keep demanding answers on what is still one of Nigeria’s most well-known unsolved disappearances, even in the face of growing losses and fading hopes.
