Five Years After, Amnesty International Asks FG To Search For Dadiyata, Missing University Lecturer

By Ayodele Oni

Global Human Rights body, Amnesty International, (AI), has once again charged the Federal government to disclose the whereabout of Abubakar Idris, aka Dadiyata, five years after his abduction.

AI, which raised the alarm over the continued disappearance of  Dadiyata, who was abducted over five years ago, noted that the fate of the university lecturer has continued to create tension and fear among the populace.

On August 2, 2019, Dadiyata, a vocal critic of the Nigerian government, was forcibly taken by armed men from his home in Kaduna. His whereabouts remain unknown, and despite repeated calls from his family for government intervention, authorities have yet to offer any answers.

According to AI, “Dadiyata’s family and friends have been experiencing slow mental anguish for over five years. What happened to Dadiyata violates a range of human rights.”

In a statement, Amnesty International emphasized that the government has a responsibility to determine the fate and whereabouts of Dadiyata, as well as others who have disappeared.

“Dadiyata, who was not only an outspoken critic of the Buhari administration but also a prominent member of the Kwankwasiyya movement, was highly regarded by his peers for his humor and soft-spoken nature.

“At the time of his abduction, he was a 34-year-old lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State.

“The abduction occurred at around 1.00 a.m. when armed men breached the security of his home and forcibly took him, placing him in his BMW car. Over five years later, his family remains in the dark about his fate, while the nation continues to grapple with the implications of his disappearance.

“What happened to Dadiyata is used as a strategy to spread terror within society. The feeling of insecurity and fear such abduction generates is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but also affects communities and society as a whole.

“Dadiyata’s case highlights the broader issue of enforced disappearances in Nigeria, where human rights abuses persist without accountability.

“As his family continues their search for justice, there is mounting pressure on the Nigerian government to take decisive action in locating Dadiyata and addressing the wider problem of missing persons.”