By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that former Kano State governor and former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, was responsible for the abduction of an activist, Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata since 2019.
El-Rufai made the statement during an interview on Arise News Prime Time on Friday, where he addressed questions regarding the activist’s disappearance and clarified that Kaduna State authorities were not involved.
Dadiyata was abducted on August 2, 2019, from his Kaduna residence by unidentified gunmen.
The case drew attention from civil society organisations and members of the public, and police investigations were conducted at the time.
His current whereabouts remain unknown.
El-Rufai said that Dadiyata’s criticism was directed at the Kano government. He said, “He (Dadiyata) is a critic of the Kano government, it was Ganduje that was his problem, go and check his timeline, I don’t even know him.”
He explained that Kaduna State authorities only became aware of the activist after the family reported the abduction to the police.
“We only got a report of Dadiyata’s existence after his family reported to the police that he was abducted.”
El-Rufai also referred to a police officer’s alleged confession regarding the abduction.
“Three days after Dadiyata’s abduction, a policeman posted from Kano to Ekiti confessed to someone that they were sent from Kano and abducted Dadiyata, and felt bad about it.”
He reiterated that Kaduna State had no role in the incident. “That is the only thing I know, but it was not a problem for Kaduna State.”
Human rights organisations, including the Amnesty International, have previously called for investigations into the case. More than six years later, no official findings have been made public.
Sahara Reporters