…as secret service reopens case of missing critic, Dadiyata
Indications have emerged that the seizure of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s passport by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) may be connected to the reopening of the “Cold case” of the disappearance of a social media commentator and critic, Abubakar Idris (Dadiyata) in Kaduna, sometime in 2019.
Highly-placed security sources, who spoke in confidence with New Telegraph, revealed that last Thursday’s seizure of the former governor’s passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja was a preemptive move to stop him from leaving the country, after his return from Cairo, the Egyptian capital.
According to the security source, the revisiting of Dadiyata’s alleged kidnap case followed months of diligent and painstaking investigations.
“El’Rufai is fully aware that the DSS is investigating him for (alleged) Dadiyata’s kidnap.
“So, he(allegedly) planned to visit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday, and then visit the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday.
“Thereafter, he’ll fly back to Cairo. Seizing his passport has shattered his plans,” the source noted.
Another informed source, who gave further insights, stated that El-Rufai’s allegation that a certain police officer made such a damning confession, and that he allegedly kept mum over such vital information, was beyond belief.
“We are talking of Dadiyata, who was kidnapped in Kaduna in 2019. Assuming without conceding that such an alleged confession was brought to El-Rufai’s knowledge ‘three years later,’ as he claimed, in 2023, when he either was still governor or had just left office.
“Don’t forget that Dadiyata’s kidnap drew tremendous international attention, with international human rights organisations like Amnesty International raising dust over the matter.
“It would be interesting to know what a man who had been an Hon. Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and governor of the state where the crime was known to have been committed, did with such key information.
“Even if he left office, another question is if he passed the information to his successor to any law enforcement agency?”
He added, “El’Rufai is fully aware that the DSS is investigating him and his two sons for Dadiyata’s kidnap. That was why he rushed to the ARISE news channel to cook up stories about Ganduje and the confessions of a ghost police officer, all in a bid to divert attention. He is aware of the security implications of seizing his passport. He knows he can’t officially leave the country, which is very bad for him.
A lecturer in the Department of English and Linguistics at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, Dadiyata was, on August 1, 2019, declared missing by his wife after some gunmen abducted him in his Kaduna home. His whereabouts remain unknown.
