AMNESTY International has welcomed the directive issued by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, ordering an investigation into the enforced disappearance of government critic and academic, Abubakar Idris, nearly seven years after he was abducted in Kaduna.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the organisation described the development as a significant step, saying it “welcomes the directive issued on 8 May 2026 by the Inspector-General of Police ordering an investigation into the enforced disappearance” of Dadiyata.
The rights group said the directive followed petitions alleging the involvement of two serving police officers in the case, noting that “the decision to refer the matter to the Police Monitoring Unit follows petitions raising serious allegations against two serving police officers in connection with the case.”
Amnesty International, however, urged authorities to ensure that the investigation is credible, impartial and transparent, stressing that “the authorities must ensure that the investigation is prompt, impartial, transparent, effective, and capable of establishing the full circumstances surrounding Dadiyata’s enforced disappearance.”
The statement followed a petition filed by human rights lawyer, Abba Fagge, to the Inspector-General of Police, demanding an independent probe into two senior police officers over alleged links to Dadiyata’s disappearance.
According to media reports, the petition was triggered by allegations made by a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle, Muhammad Kamarawa, who claimed that the officers threatened him during his detention at Operations Yaki in Kaduna in 2021 and allegedly claimed responsibility for Dadiyata’s killing.
Dadiyata, a lecturer in the Department of English and Linguistics at Federal University Dutsin-Ma, was abducted in the early hours of August 2, 2019, at his residence in Barnawa area of Kaduna State.
Amnesty International said eyewitness accounts from his wife indicated that “two armed persons who covered their faces abducted Dadiyata.”
The organisation stated that since the abduction, it “has remained at the forefront of calls for truth, justice, and accountability,” adding that “for nearly seven years, his family, friends, and supporters have continued to demand answers regarding his whereabouts and fate.”
It further called on authorities to protect everyone linked to the case, urging them to “guarantee the independence of the investigation, protect all individuals connected to the case from intimidation or reprisals, and make the findings of the inquiry public.”
The organisation added that “where sufficient admissible evidence exists, anyone found responsible, regardless of rank or position, must be brought to justice in proceedings that meet international fair trial standards.”
Amnesty International also urged the Nigerian government to address the broader issue of enforced disappearances, saying authorities “must also take concrete steps to address the wider pattern of enforced disappearances and ensure that victims and their families have access to truth, justice, and effective remedies.”
Dadiyata was widely known for his criticism of former Abdullahi Ganduje and his support for the Kwankwasiyya political movement.
Both Ganduje and former Nasir El-Rufai have repeatedly denied any involvement in his disappearance.
The Department of State Services had earlier reopened investigations into the case in February, raising renewed public attention over one of Nigeria’s most controversial unresolved disappearance cases.