By Paul Joseph
A former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has alleged that missing Nigerian government critic Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, was killed in his presence.
The allegation was made by Musa Muhammad Kamarawa, whose statement, reportedly written in Hausa, has been circulating widely on social media.
Dadiyata, a lecturer and outspoken social media commentator, was abducted by unidentified gunmen from his residence in Kaduna on August 1, 2019, and has remained missing since then.
His disappearance generated national outrage and was widely linked to his criticism of political leaders and governments in northern Nigeria.
Reacting to the latest allegation, several commentators and activists have called for an independent investigation into the matter.
Political commentator Imran Wakili described the claim as serious and urged authorities not to dismiss it as political rhetoric.
Similarly, security analyst and counter-insurgency journalist Bakatsine called for a transparent probe into the allegation, stressing that enforced disappearances and alleged extrajudicial killings must be properly investigated.
The development comes amid a separate petition submitted by Kamarawa to the Inspector General of Police, in which he accused two senior police officers of alleged extortion, intimidation, illegal house searches and seizure of property.
In the petition, Kamarawa further alleged that he was pressured during interrogation not to disclose his relationship with Matawalle.
He also claimed that the officers threatened him and referenced Dadiyata’s alleged killing during questioning.
Kamarawa additionally alleged that investigators repeatedly questioned him about his relationship with former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa.
As of the time of filing this report, security authorities had not officially responded to the allegations.
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