*”As They Killed Dadiyata,” Accuses Officers Of Forcing Him To Conceal Relationship With Defence Minister During Interrogation
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Musa Muhammad Kamarawa, a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle, has alleged that Abubakar Idris, the Nigerian lecturer and outspoken government critic popularly known as Dadiyata, who was abducted from his Kaduna home in August 2019 and has been missing for nearly seven years, was killed in his presence, in a claim that has sent shockwaves across social media and prompted demands for an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into what commentators have described as “a weighty accusation involving enforced disappearance and alleged extrajudicial killing.
Accoding to Dailypost, a screengrab containing Kamarawa’s claim, written in Hausa, is currently circulating on various social media platforms, while a petition he addressed to the Inspector General of Police on Thursday provides additional context, alleging that two senior police officers threatened to kill him “as they killed Dadiyata and Saminu S/Fada Gusau amongst others in my presence at Operations Yaki Kaduna,” and that the officers forced him to conceal details of his relationship with Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence, during interrogation sessions conducted “under duress.”
The allegations, if substantiated, would transform the Dadiyata case from one of Nigeria’s most high-profile unresolved disappearances into a confirmed extrajudicial killing allegedly carried out at a security facility, with potential links to a serving member of the Federal Cabinet.
Abubakar Idris, known by his social media handle “Dadiyata,” was a lecturer and one of northern Nigeria’s most prominent online critics of government before his disappearance. He was known for his sharp, often satirical commentary on social media platforms, particularly regarding the performance and conduct of northern state governors.
On August 1, 2019, gunmen abducted Dadiyata from his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna, in the early hours of the morning. His vehicle was later found abandoned near his home with signs of a struggle.
Despite widespread public outcry, petitions, and demands for investigation, Dadiyata has never been found. No group claimed responsibility for his abduction. No arrest was made. No body was recovered. And no official account of what happened to him has ever been provided by any arm of government or security agency.
His disappearance was widely linked to his critical social media commentary. Many Nigerians and human rights organisations suspected that he was a victim of enforced disappearance carried out by state security agents in retaliation for his political criticism, though no evidence was publicly produced to confirm the suspicion.
For nearly seven years, Dadiyata’s family, friends, and supporters have waited for answers. Kamarawa’s claim, if verified, would provide those answers in the most devastating form imaginable.
Kamarawa’s allegations are contained in two sources: the circulating screengrab in which he claims Dadiyata was killed in his presence, and a formal petition to the Inspector General of Police dated Thursday, in which he provides additional details.
In the petition, addressed to the IGP, Kamarawa alleged that two senior police officers, CSP Hussaini Gimba and CSP Hassan Gimba, subjected him to extortion, illegal house searches, seizure of property, and what he described as “a partial investigation” against him.
He alleged that the officers compelled him to conceal his relationship with Matawalle during interrogation sessions, and that the video clips recorded of him during these sessions were obtained “under duress.”
The most explosive passage of the petition reads: “In the cause of investigation, I was coerced by them — I shouldn’t make any attempt to disclose my relationship with former Governor of Zamfara State Dr Bello Matawalle, current State Minister of Defence. That was the main reason in all the video clips they recorded on me under duress — I have never disclosed our relationship with him because they threatened to kill me as they killed Dadiyata and Saminu S/Fada Gusau amongst others in my presence at Operations Yaki Kaduna.”
The petition names a specific location: “Operations Yaki Kaduna,” described as a security facility, as the place where Dadiyata and others were allegedly killed in Kamarawa’s presence.
It names specific officers: CSP Hussaini Gimba and CSP Hassan Gimba, whom Kamarawa alleges threatened him with the same fate.
And it names a specific motive for the cover-up: the officers allegedly wanted to prevent Kamarawa from disclosing his relationship with Matawalle, suggesting that the connection between Kamarawa and the current Defence Minister is central to whatever the officers were investigating and wanted to keep concealed.
Kamarawa stated in the petition that he served as Senior Special Assistant to Matawalle during his tenure as Governor of Zamfara State, attaching his letter of appointment as evidence.
“My concern is that I was the SSA to Matawallen Maradun during his tenure as a Governor in Zamfara State but why they never allow me to mention even in my statement which I wrote under duress hence there’s a need to investigate the motive behind these,” Kamarawa stated.
The reference to “Matawallen Maradun” is Matawalle’s traditional title. Kamarawa appears to be questioning why the officers specifically wanted his connection to a serving federal minister suppressed, suggesting either that the officers were acting on instructions to protect Matawalle from association with their activities, or that the relationship between Kamarawa and Matawalle is relevant to the broader circumstances under investigation.
Kamarawa further alleged that the officers “repeatedly questioned him about his relationship with former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa,” whom he claimed was the officers’ “main target as instructed by Matawallen Maradun.”
If accurate, this allegation suggests a chain of command in which Matawalle allegedly directed the officers to target Bafarawa through Kamarawa, while simultaneously ensuring that Kamarawa’s own connection to Matawalle was concealed from any official record.
The complexity of the alleged relationships Kamarawa as Matawalle’s former aide, being interrogated by officers who allegedly killed Dadiyata, about his relationship with Bafarawa, who was allegedly the officers’ real target at Matawalle’s instruction suggests a web of political rivalries, security operations, and extrajudicial actions that extends across multiple northern states and involves current and former holders of some of Nigeria’s most powerful offices.
The allegations have prompted immediate calls for investigation from political commentators and security journalists.
Imran Wakili, a political commentator who shared a post containing the allegation on his X handle, described Kamarawa’s revelation as “a golden opportunity to finally get to the bottom of the disappearance and alleged killing of Dadiyata.”
“Such a statement cannot be ignored, brushed aside, or treated as ordinary political talk. It demands a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation,” Wakili stated.
Bakatsine, a counter-insurgency and security journalist covering northwestern Nigeria, echoed the call for investigation.
“This is a weighty accusation involving enforced disappearance and alleged extrajudicial killings. The authorities must investigate transparently, and those responsible, if found guilty, must face justice,” Bakatsine wrote on X on Friday.
The allegations, if established, would carry profound consequences across multiple dimensions.
For the Dadiyata case, it would end the uncertainty by confirming the worst fears of his family and supporters: that he was killed by state agents, not merely detained or disappeared. It would also identify a specific location, Operations Yaki Kaduna, and specific individuals allegedly involved.
For the Nigeria Police Force, the allegation that serving CSPs threatened a petitioner with death by referencing previous killings they allegedly carried out represents an accusation of extrajudicial execution, witness intimidation, and obstruction of justice by senior officers.
For the Minister of State for Defence, the allegation that his former aide was coerced into concealing their relationship during interrogation, and that the officers conducting the interrogation were allegedly acting on instructions linked to Matawalle, creates questions that demand official response.
For Nigeria’s human rights record, the confirmation of an enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of a government critic at a security facility would rank among the most serious human rights violations documented in the country’s recent history.
The claims are being treated with both urgency and appropriate scrutiny. Kamarawa is a former political aide making allegations against security officers in the context of what he describes as a coercive investigation against himself. His motivations, credibility, and the circumstances under which he is making these revelations will need to be assessed as part of any investigation.
However, the specificity of the allegations — naming a location, naming officers, describing the circumstances, and filing a formal petition to the IGP — distinguishes Kamarawa’s claims from vague rumours or unsubstantiated social media speculation. A formal petition to the Inspector General of Police is a legal document that exposes the petitioner to consequences for making false statements, suggesting either genuine belief in the truth of the allegations or an extraordinary willingness to risk legal liability for a fabrication.
The petition’s reference to video recordings made under duress also suggests the existence of documentary evidence that could either corroborate or contradict Kamarawa’s account, depending on what the recordings contain and whether they are preserved.
The allegations demand immediate action from multiple authorities.
The Inspector General of Police, to whom the petition is addressed, must ensure that the claims are investigated independently, not by the officers named in the petition or their colleagues, but by an independent unit with no connection to the alleged perpetrators.
The National Human Rights Commission must be engaged, given that the allegations involve enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing, both of which fall within its mandate.
Dadiyata’s family, who have waited nearly seven years for answers, must be informed of the allegations and included in any investigative process.
And the two officers named in the petition, CSP Hussaini Gimba and CSP Hassan Gimba, must be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations while being placed under investigation to prevent any interference with evidence or witnesses.
As Wakili stated: “Such a statement cannot be ignored, brushed aside, or treated as ordinary political talk.”
For nearly seven years, Dadiyata’s fate has been Nigeria’s unanswered question. A former aide to a serving federal minister now claims to have the answer.
Whether the authorities will pursue that answer with the transparency, independence, and rigour that the gravity of the allegation demands, or whether the claim will be allowed to disappear into the same silence that swallowed Dadiyata himself, will test Nigeria’s commitment to accountability, human rights, and the most fundamental principle of all: that the state cannot kill its citizens with impunity.
As Bakatsine wrote: “Those responsible, if found guilty, must face justice.”
Dadiyata’s family has waited seven years. They deserve to know the truth. And if Kamarawa’s allegation is true, they deserve justice.
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