Dadiyata was abducted in his residence in the Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna State by unidentified men.
A global human rights advocacy organisation, Amnesty International has backed the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf over his promise to take up a case of missing journalist and social media critic, Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
SaharaReporters had reported that the newly inaugurated governor had promised to investigate what led to Dadiyata’s disappearance for more than four years.
Dadiyata was abducted in his residence in the Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna State by unidentified men. He was a known critic of the ruling political party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
After his inauguration on Monday, Governor Yusuf vowed to take up the case with security agencies in Nigeria to ensure he is rescued and that those responsible for his disappearance are brought to justice.
“Earlier, in my inaugural address, I stated that we cannot forget the case of our respected member and supporter, Abubakar Dadiyata, who was whisked away in broad daylight by unknown elements more than three years ago.
“The Kano State Government will take up his case with all relevant security agencies in the country so as to rescue him and bring those responsible to justice,” he wrote.
Reacting to this, the organisation said probing the issue is long overdue and commended the governor for his interest in the matter.
The group’s statement via its Twitter page reads: “Amnesty International welcomes the Kano state governor's pledge to investigate the abduction of Abubakar Idris (Dadiyata). The investigation must be prompt, independent, impartial, transparent and thorough.
“The investigation is long overdue, as Dadiyata’s family lives with the anguish of not knowing his whereabouts for over three years. Dadiyata – a critic of the Nigerian government on social media was abducted by gunmen at home in Kaduna on 2 August 2019.
“Nigerian authorities have an obligation to uncover the truth about Dadiyata.”