The Amnesty International in Nigeria has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to take proactive measures to investigate the abduction of a University lecturer, Abubakar Idris popularly known as Dadiyata from Kaduna six years ago.
The group noted that for six years, there has been no clarity as to what effort the government has made to establish the truth about Dadiyata, asking the President to take interest in the matter and do what his predecessor failed to do.
Briefing newsmen in Kaduna, the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, explained that six years is a long time in a lifetime and strongly condemned the seeming disinterest and lack of effort on the side of Nigerian government on the fate of Dadiyata.
Idris stated that the past few years have been very unpalatable for critics of government and dissenting voices in Nigeria, stressing that a lot of them have endured illegal detention, harassment and vexatious litigations by state actors amid a wider crack down on freedom of expression.
He lamented, “Apart from the weak and weightless assurance of the Police to investigate his disappearance, six years down the line, there has been no progress. Nothing whatsoever! Amnesty International firmly believes that Nigerian security agencies have a duty to investigate the abduction of Dadiyata and to share the findings of their investigation with the public.”
The Country Director stated that the Nigerian government has a duty to close all the doors and windows of speculation about what happened to Dadiyata, by establishing the truth to end the anguish of his family and friends.
Idris observed that the feeling of insecurity and fear it generates is not limited to the close relatives of those who were forcibly snatched like Dadiyata but also affects communities and society.
“What happened to Dadiyata usually happens in societies where law and order are weak or under authoritarian rule. Enforced disappearance is a tactic used to spread terror in society. Enforced disappearance is prohibited under international law. It violates a wide range of human rights.”
He opined that because of his critical voice, everyone would agree that they ought to be asking all the hard questions about the circumstances that surrounded his disappearance, as many people, including Amnesty International, believe that the abduction of Dadiyata may not be unconnected with his criticism of government and some politicians on social media.
Recall that Abubakar Idris popularly known as Dadiyata was said to have arrived home in Kaduna after a long day in August 2, 2019 and was about to lock the entrance gates to his home when, like in a movie, gunmen appeared and took him away in his car.
Those who abducted him were masked and armed with heavy guns according to his family.
