Amnesty International has expressed its disapproval of the Federal Government, citing a “deafening silence and shameful inaction” regarding the case of Abubakar Idris, known as Dadiyata, who was abducted from his home in Kaduna six years ago.
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Dadiyata, a university lecturer and vocal critic of the government, was taken by masked individuals on August 2, 2019. Since that day, there has been no sign of him or his vehicle. During a press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, commemorating the sixth anniversary of the incident,
Amnesty International’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, characterized Dadiyata’s disappearance as a symbol of the growing culture of repression in Nigeria.
“His family waited that night, hoping he’d return. They waited the next day. Then weeks, months—now six years. We are still asking the same question: Where is Dadiyata?” Sanusi remarked.
He criticized the government for its inability to safeguard its citizens, stating, “Even if the government asserts it didn’t abduct him, it failed to protect him. That is a fundamental breach of responsibility.”
Sanusi accused security forces, especially the police and the Department of State Services (DSS), of handling the case with negligence and indifference.
“There has been no credible update, no official report, no accountability. Just silence. Shameful silence,” he continued.
Amnesty International cautioned that the details surrounding the abduction reflect the characteristics of an enforced disappearance—often employed by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent.
“This isn’t just about Dadiyata. It’s about the message this sends to all Nigerians: speak truth to power, and you could vanish,” Sanusi stated.
He called on the federal government to take decisive measures by initiating a comprehensive and independent investigation into the case, criticizing the previous administration under late Muhammadu Buhari for failing to take meaningful action to address it. At the event, Dadiyata’s brother…