Former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has rejected an allegation by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai that links him to the disappearance of Nigerian activist Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
The response was contained in a statement signed by Muhammad Garba, a former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs in Kano State. Garba described the allegation as reckless and baseless, and said it was a political move that tries to shift responsibility for a case that occurred in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria.
Garba said Dadiyata lived and worked in Kaduna State and was known for criticising the Kaduna State Government, not the Kano State Government. He argued that there is no credible record showing that the activist’s main target was Ganduje or the Kano administration, and he insisted that people in Kaduna State understood the focus of the activist’s public criticisms.
The statement said security responsibility within Kaduna State at the time rested with the Kaduna State Government and federal security agencies operating in the state. It urged the public to examine El-Rufai’s comments carefully, stressing that serious allegations should be backed by verifiable evidence rather than political insinuations. Garba warned that involving Ganduje without proof could politicise a painful and unresolved matter and further complicate a sensitive case.
Garba also defended Ganduje’s record in office, saying Kano State under his two-term administration allowed criticism and open engagement with the media and opposition voices. He added that there were no records of arrests, intimidation, or harassment of journalists and critics in Kano State during Ganduje’s tenure.
The statement referenced past public discussion of the disappearance, noting that attention over the years has largely focused on developments in Kaduna State. It mentioned Shehu Sani, a former Nigerian senator who represented Kaduna Central, saying he previously observed that many people in the state were reluctant to speak openly about the case. It also referenced Nigerian political commentator Reno Omokri, saying he has raised questions at different times about how the issue was handled.
Garba questioned El-Rufai’s claim that a police officer confessed to being sent from Kano State to abduct Dadiyata, asking why such information, if genuine, was not formally submitted to investigative authorities or pursued transparently through proper security channels at the time. He argued that it was inconsistent to claim a lack of prior knowledge of the activist while also making detailed claims about who was responsible.
While expressing sympathy for Dadiyata’s family, the statement said the focus should remain on uncovering the truth through lawful, transparent, and impartial investigations rather than political exchanges involving major figures in Nigeria’s governing All Progressives Congress (APC).