Amnesty International has called on President Bola Tinubu to order a thorough investigation into the abduction of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
Country Director of Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi made the call at a press conference on Saturday in Kaduna, alongside some family members of Dadiyata’s family.
Dadiya, a university lecturer, known for criticising government on social media, was abducted at his residence in Kaduna on August 2, 2019, by masked men. His whereabouts is yet unknown till date.
Sanusi accused the federal government over its continued silence and inaction on Dadiyata since his abduction.
The Amnesty International Country Director expressed concern over the rising repression of dissenting voices and the criminalisation of free speech in the country.
He warned that Dadiyata’s fate sends a that Dadiyata’s abduction is “a chilling message to government critics.”
The human rights group reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing justice for Dadiyata and all victims of “enforced disappearance”, insisting that justice must not be delayed or denied.
“Where is Dadiyata? Time is running out. The family needs disclosure. The country needs answers. The government must be the search party.
“This is not just about Dadiyata. It’s about all Nigerians who dare to speak truth to power”, Sanusi said.
He said Dadiyata’s <span;> case “has become symbolic of Nigeria’s deteriorating human rights landscape, marked by impunity, shrinking civic space, and a deepening culture of silence”.
“His family waited, hoping he would return that night. They waited and waited. From days, to months, to years. It’s six years. We are still asking: where is Dadiyata?” Sanusi asked.
“Even if the government didn’t take him, they failed to protect him. Human rights are state obligations.
“Six years on, there has been no investigation result, no update, no justice—absolutely nothing,” Sanusi lamented.
Also speaking during the press conference, Usman Idris, Dadiyata’s younger brother, said the family had been living in anguish.
He said their mother died still hoping to reunite with her son, while an uncle passed away due to stress related to the unresolved case.
Idris said, “Our father is barely holding on. Our lives have been torn apart. My brother was not a criminal. He was a patriotic Nigerian who used his voice for justice.”
On her own, Khadija, Dadiyata’s wife, narrated how their children have been left traumatized by their father’s disappearance.
“They keep asking me, ‘Where is Daddy?’ I have no answers. We live in grief every single day,” she said amid tears.
Amnesty Int’l asks Tinubu to order thorough investigation into Dadiyata’s abduction
