The Department of State Services (DSS) has disclosed that the seizure of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s international passport at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, February 12, 2026, was to prevent him from fleeing the country while under investigation.
A security source explained that the DSS is probing El-Rufai and his sons over their alleged involvement in the 2019 disappearance of social media activist Abubakar Idris, known as Dadiyata.
The source stated that El-Rufai had planned to briefly visit Nigeria, appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday, then return to Cairo, Egypt. Seizing his passport disrupted that plan.
“El-Rufai is fully aware that the DSS is investigating him for Dadiyata’s kidnap. So, he planned to visit the EFCC on Monday and then the ICPC on Tuesday. Thereafter, he will fly back to Cairo. Seizing his passport has shattered his plans,” the source said.
The source added that the case was reopened following months of intensive investigations pointing to El-Rufai’s knowledge of—or involvement in—the abduction while he was Kaduna governor.
Dadiyata, a lecturer at Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, was abducted from his home in Barnawa, Kaduna, on August 2, 2019, by unidentified armed men. His whereabouts have remained unknown for over six years, with no group claiming responsibility.
In last week’s Television interview, El-Rufai denied any link to the disappearance, claiming Dadiyata was not a critic of his administration but rather of then-Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. He alleged a policeman confessed to being sent from Kano to carry out the abduction.
The DSS source dismissed El-Rufai’s account as implausible, questioning why he withheld such a serious allegation for years despite international attention on the case from groups like Amnesty International.
The source noted contradictions between El-Rufai’s claim of ignorance and social media posts by his sons, Bello and Bashir El-Rufai, suggesting Dadiyata posed a problem to the family.
Bello’s 2019 post and Bashir’s 2020 tweet were cited as evidence of prior awareness and hostility.
The DSS is also investigating links between El-Rufai’s administration and the abduction, working in coordination with the EFCC and ICPC.
The source emphasised that citizens have a legal duty to report crimes and assist investigations under provisions of the Criminal Code Act and Penal Code, including prohibitions on concealing evidence or aiding suspects.
The agency said the probe is separate from ongoing EFCC and ICPC investigations into corruption allegations against El-Rufai, which stem from his eight-year tenure as governor and earlier role as FCT Minister.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly in June 2024 urged the EFCC and ICPC to recover over N423 billion allegedly misappropriated during El-Rufai’s administration.
El-Rufai has accused the Tinubu administration of targeting opposition figures and has vowed to prevent the president’s re-election in 2027.
The DSS has not issued an official public statement on the passport seizure or the Dadiyata investigation as of this report.
