AGFCS urges IGP to investigate Dadiyata’s enforced disappearance
By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Action Group on Free Civic Space (AGFCS), a coalition of Nigerian civil society organizations, has called for an immediate investigation into the enforced disappearance of activist, Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
In a statement issued on Saturday, AGFCS expressed deep concern over the case, which remains unresolved more than six years after Dadiyata vanished.
The statement, signed by the African Focus For Youth Development, Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding, Spaces for Change, and nine other organizations, highlighted that despite sustained pressure from local and international groups, numerous lawsuits, and ongoing advocacy, Dadiyata’s whereabouts remain unknown.
On August 2, 2019, the then 34-year-old lecturer at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma was reportedly abducted by unidentified armed men as he arrived at his home in Barnawa, Kaduna State.
AGFCS highlighted recent public claims suggesting political motivations behind the abduction. It referenced comments made by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in a live interview, where he reportedly pointed to former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as potentially responsible.
El-Rufai cited an alleged confession by a police officer involved in the operation, claiming that officers were dispatched from Kano to carry out the abduction. AGFCS described these revelations—if substantiated—as “explosive,” echoing concerns raised by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC).
AGFCS emphasized that enforced disappearance constitutes a severe violation of human rights, undermining constitutional protections for life, liberty, dignity, and freedom of expression under Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) and relevant international instruments. Such incidents, particularly when targeting civic actors, foster widespread fear and shrink civic space in democratic societies.
The coalition urged the Inspector General of Police, in collaboration with relevant authorities, to take urgent action by launching a transparent and independent investigation into all available information, including the recent public statements and alleged confession.
It further demanded the public release of the investigation’s findings, clear communication of those findings to Dadiyata’s family, and full accountability for anyone found responsible.
AGFCS stressed that justice delayed is justice denied, insisting that Dadiyata’s family deserves truth and closure, while Nigeria requires accountability to prevent further erosion of democratic freedoms.
“Enforced disappearance has no place in any democratic society,” the statement declared.
