A human rights lawyer, Barrister Abba Hikima Fagge, has called on the Inspector-General of Police to order an immediate and comprehensive investigation into a fresh allegation linking security personnel to the disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
Fagge said the renewed allegation emerged from Muhammad Musa, a former Senior Special Assistant to former Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, who claimed to have witnessed events connected to the activist’s alleged killing.
According to the lawyer, Musa alleged that a police officer identified as Hussaini Gimba was directly involved in the killing of Dadiyata.
Fagge said the claim, if verified, could provide a major breakthrough in resolving the long-standing disappearance case.
He urged security authorities not to disregard the testimony but to treat it with urgency.
“If this allegation is true, then it is enough to reopen the entire investigation and ensure justice is served,” Fagge said.
Dadiyata, a 34-year-old lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, was abducted on August 2, 2019, by unidentified armed men who intercepted him as he drove into his residence in Barnawa area of Kaduna State.
He was widely known as a social media influencer and a staunch supporter of former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Since his disappearance, his family and several human rights organisations have filed multiple legal actions demanding information about his whereabouts.
In 2020, the Federal High Court in Kaduna ordered the State Security Service and other security agencies to produce him in court or release him if held in custody, but the agencies denied detaining him.
Global rights organisation Amnesty International and other watchdog groups have classified the incident as an enforced disappearance.
Although early suspicions suggested possible involvement of security operatives, authorities later denied having him in custody following official investigations.
For over seven years, Dadiyata’s whereabouts have remained unknown, with no individual or group officially claiming responsibility for his disappearance.
The incident has continued to cause emotional distress for his family, as his wife, children and relatives repeatedly demand answers regarding his fate.
The latest allegation is expected to intensify public calls for renewed investigation and accountability in one of Nigeria’s most controversial disappearance cases.
