Sowore made the demand during a live broadcast on Arise News TV on Tuesday night, as monitored by SaharaReporters.
Human rights activist and former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has urged ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to disclose the whereabouts of missing journalist and government critic, Abubakar Idris, also known as Dadiyata.
Sowore made the demand during a live broadcast on Arise News TV on Tuesday night, as monitored by SaharaReporters.
“I am not one of the people who ‘calendarise’ their interest in Nigeria in election circles. I saw one of them (El-Rufai) on your show yesterday. He has suddenly become an activist after being in Kaduna for eight years. By the way, he needs to confess to us also, ‘Where is Dadiyata?’” Sowore asked.
“The young man who was abduct€d the same night that I was abduct€d. He was abduct€d in Kaduna, the same night I was abduct€d by DSS (Department of State Services) in Lagos. Nobody has found him since then. So tell him that he should come and make a confession about his whereabouts.”
Dadiyata, a journalist and vocal critic of the Nigerian and Kaduna State governments, was abduct€d by gunmen on August 1, 2019, from his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna State.
He was well known for his outspoken criticism of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to the police, he was returning home around 1 a.m. when arm€d men breached his house’s security and took him away in his BMW vehicle.
Almost six years after his dis@ppearance, his family continues to demand answers. His father, brother, sister, and close friends have repeatedly expressed their grief, with his mother reportedly passing away due to the emotional toll of his @bduction.
Sowore’s remarks come amid El-Rufai’s recent outbursts against President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Once a staunch APC loyalist, El-Rufai has now positioned himself as a critic of the current government.
His sudden activism has drawn scepticism from many, with some accusing him of playing to the gallery after spending eight years in power as Kaduna State governor.
Critics argue that El-Rufai should not be allowed to rebrand himself as an activist without addressing lingering questions about his tenure, including allegations of human rights abuses and political repression.
As El-Rufai attempts to reposition himself in the political space, Sowore’s call is for accountability regarding Dadiyata’s @bduction.
The activist insisted that the former governor, who wielded enormous power in Kaduna at the time, should come clean about what happened to the journalist.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has remained silent on the case, with no concrete efforts made to uncover the truth behind Dadiyata’s disappearance. His family, friends, and the public continue to demand justice, hoping that one day, the mystery surrounding his @bduction will be unravelled.
