The Department of State Services (DSS) has explained that it seized the passport of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El‑Rufai to ensure he remains in the country while investigations continue into the disappearance of Abubakar Idris, also known as Dadiyata, whose whereabouts have been unknown since 2019. According to security sources, the move at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was not an attempt to arrest El‑Rufai but a measure to prevent him from travelling to Egypt after returning briefly to Nigeria, as the agency investigates alleged links between him, his son and the long‑running “cold case.” 

Dadiyata, a university lecturer and government critic, was abducted from his Kaduna home in August 2019 and has not been seen since. The DSS says months of inquiries have produced leads suggesting the former governor, who held office during the disappearance, may have knowledge of what happened. El‑Rufai has publicly denied involvement, instead pointing to a purported confession by a police officer of involvement in the abduction and dismissing claims he knew Dadiyata, but security officials have dismissed that account as implausible.