6 Years After: Family, amnesty int’l fault FG’s silence over Dadiyata’s disappearance

The family of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, and Amnesty International have condemned the Federal Government’s silence over his disappearance six years ago.

Dadiyata, a university lecturer and online political commentator, was abducted by masked men from his home in Kaduna on August 2, 2019.

Amnesty International and Dadiyata’s family fault the Federal Government for its silence and inaction in resolving the case.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna to mark the sixth anniversary of the incident, the country Director of Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi, described Dadiyata’s case as a disturbing metaphor for the Nigerian state’s growing hostility to dissent.

“His family waited that night, hoping he’d walk back in. They waited the next day. Then weeks, months, now six years,” Sanusi said in a visibly emotional tone.

“We are still asking the same question, where is Dadiyata?”

Sanusi did not mince words in describing the government’s posture since 2019 as negligent and complacent

“Even if the government claims it didn’t take him, it failed to protect him. That is a fundamental breach of responsibility,” he declared.

He accused the security agencies, particularly the police and the Department of State Services, of issuing “weak and weightless promises” and treating the case with levity.

“Till today, there has been no credible update, no official report, no accountability. Just silence. Shameful silence,” Sanusi said.

He warned that the nature of the abduction bore the hallmark of “enforced disappearance,” a tactic associated with authoritarian regimes aimed at stifling dissent and intimidating civic voices.

“This is not just about Dadiyata. It’s about a dangerous trend. This is a warning to anyone who dares to speak truth to power in Nigeria,” Sanusi said.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to break the silence and direct a full, independent investigation into the case, noting that the Muhammadu Buhari administration failed woefully in that regard.

“Time is running out. The family needs closure. The country needs answers. The government must be the search party,” he said.

Also speaking, Dadiyata’s brother, Usman Idris, painted a grim picture of a family torn apart by trauma and unanswered questions.

“Our mother died with a broken heart. She waited and waited. Our uncle couldn’t take the pain, he passed too. And now, our father is barely holding on,” he said.

“Abubakar believed in using his voice, not violence. He believed the pen could change this country. And he paid the price for it,” he said.

Usman noted that the family had written to every relevant authority from the Inspector-General of Police to the Director-General of the DSS and the Attorney-General of the Federation but none had provided any credible answers.

“Six years. Not one official explanation. Not one apology. Just silence,” he lamented.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment came from Dadiyata’s wife, Khadija Ahmad Lame, who broke down as she shared how their children had lived in confusion and grief.

“They ask me every day, ‘Where is Daddy?’ And I have no answers,” she said through tears. “Six years of pain. Six years of helplessness. Six years without closure.”

Amnesty International said it would continue to push for answers and justice not only for Dadiyata but for every Nigerian who has suffered similar violations.

Dadiyata, a university lecturer, a government critic, and online political commentator, was allegedly abducted by masked men from his home in the Barnawa area of Kaduna metropolis on August 2, 2019.

He had just returned from work when the armed assailants pounced and whisked him away in his vehicle. Since that night, neither he nor his car has been seen again.