DSS Probe of El-Rufai, Sons Over Kidnap Led to Passport Seizure

Linus Aleke in Abuja

The Department of State Services (DSS) has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, a vocal government critic who vanished from his Kaduna home on August 1, 2019.

According to a senior security source, the renewed probe has widened to examine alleged links between former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and his sons.

The source disclosed that the seizure of El-Rufai’s passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, last Thursday was a strategic move to prevent him from returning to Cairo after a brief visit to Nigeria.

Investigators believe he was aware of the ongoing probe and had planned meetings with the EFCC and ICPC before departing again.

The passport action, the source said, disrupted that plan.

“Months of discreet investigations reportedly prompted the cold case review. Authorities are examining fresh leads suggesting possible involvement by key actors during the period of Dadiyata’s abduction.

The lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma remains missing more than six years later, despite international attention and pressure from human rights organisations.

In a recent ARISE Television interview, El-Rufai claimed knowledge of a police officer who allegedly confessed to participating in Dadiyata’s abduction, stating the team was sent from Kano,” the source said.

The former Governor, he said, maintained he was unaware of Dadiyata prior to the incident and argued that, if any government should be questioned, it was Kano’s.

Security officials, however, described his claims as troubling, questioning why such information—if credible—was neither reported nor acted upon.

They further pointed to past social media posts by his sons, Bello and Bashir, suggesting Dadiyata had been viewed as a hostile critic of the family.

Investigators insist the passport seizure was not an arrest but a lawful precaution while inquiries continue.

They also emphasized collaboration with the EFCC and ICPC on related matters involving former associates of the ex-governor.

Meanwhile, public calls for accountability have intensified, with political figures and activists urging a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dadiyata’s disappearance.