‘They Killed Dadiyata In My Presence’, Ex-Matawalle Aide Makes Explosive Allegation Against Police Officers

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Musa Muhammad Kamarawa, a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Zamfara State Governor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has alleged that missing activist Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, was killed while in police custody.

Kamarawa made the allegation while accusing two senior police officers of intimidation, unlawful detention and abuse of office during an investigation conducted against him in 2021.

According to him, the officers threatened to kill him if he disclosed his relationship with Matawalle during interrogation.

He identified the officers as CSP Hussaini Gimba and CSP Hassan Gimba and called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate them over alleged violations of his rights.

Kamarawa claimed the officers used Dadiyata’s alleged killing as a threat against him while he was in custody at Operations Yaki in Kaduna.

“In the course of investigation, I was coerced by them that I shouldn’t make any attempt to disclose my relationship with former Governor of Zamfara State, Dr Bello Matawalle, current Minister of State for Defence,” Kamarawa said.

“That was the main reason in all the video clips they recorded on me under duress, I never disclosed our relationship with him because they threatened to kill me as they killed Dadiyata and Saminu S/Fada Gusau amongst others in my presence at Operations Yaki Kaduna.”

He also accused the officers of conducting a biased investigation against him and searching his residence without a valid warrant.

“The alleged police officers, CSP Hussaini Gimba and CSP Hassan Gimba, have investigated me partially, looted my money, property and illegally searched my house without a valid search warrant,” he alleged.

Dadiyata, a lecturer and social media critic, was abducted from his residence in Barnawa area of Kaduna State in August 2019. Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown.

The disappearance of the activist attracted national attention and sparked repeated demands from civil society groups and members of the public for answers about his fate.

Earlier this year, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai alleged during an interview on Arise News that former Kano State Governor and ex-APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had issues with Dadiyata over his criticisms of the Kano government.

“He (Dadiyata) is a critic of the Kano government, it was Ganduje that was his problem, go and check his timeline, I don’t even know him,” El-Rufai said.

He also claimed that a police officer allegedly confessed that operatives were sent from Kano to abduct the activist.

“Three days after Dadiyata’s abduction, a policeman posted from Kano to Ekiti confessed to someone that they were sent from Kano and abducted Dadiyata, and felt bad about it,” he said.