Six years after going missing, Kaduna-based activist and social media personality Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, has been confirmed dead by his colleague, Damilola Adekunle.
The long-standing mystery surrounding Dadiyata’s disappearance was brought to a heartbreaking end by Damilola, who shared the devastating news that her independent investigation had concluded that Dadiyata had been killed.
After vanishing without a trace in 2019, his death has now been confirmed by Adekunle, a prominent social commentator and investigator, via a Facebook post yesterday.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that after thorough investigations, I can confirm that Idris Abubakar, popularly known as Dadiyata, is officially dead. #Dadiyata was killed,” Adekunle wrote on Facebook.
Her inquiry was initiated after she announced a ₦10 million reward for credible information regarding his fate.
“I am launching a ₦10 million fund to reward anyone who can provide a fact-based investigation into what happened to Abubakar Idris (aka Dadiyata). If you know what happened to him, dead or alive, please come to my DM,” she posted in May 2025.
The Guild reports that Dadiyata was abducted from his home in Barnawa, Kaduna, on the night of August 2, 2019, by unidentified gunmen. His sudden disappearance left many questioning whether his outspokenness and political activism had made him a target.
Dadiyata was known for his fearless criticism of high-ranking politicians and his unwavering support for opposition leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, making his disappearance widely believed to be politically motivated.
Since 2019, his family, human rights advocates, and civil society groups, including Amnesty International Nigeria, have continued to press for answers. However, despite numerous calls for transparency, government silence persisted.
His mother, who fought relentlessly for justice, passed away in 2022 without ever finding out what happened to her son.
Dadiyata’s death has reignited conversations about press freedom, state accountability, and the treatment of dissenting voices in Nigeria’s democracy.
