The Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday confirmed it seized the passport of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Abubakar Idris, also known as Dadiyata, in 2019.
The agency confirmed it is investigating Mr. El-Rufai and his sons for their alleged involvement in the case.
A security source told Vanguard that the passport seizure at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on February 12 was intended to prevent El-Rufai from leaving for Egypt after briefly visiting Nigeria.
“El-Rufai is fully aware that the DSS is investigating him for Dadiyata’s kidnap. He planned to visit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday, before flying back to Cairo. Seizing his passport disrupted these plans,” the source said.
The source said the investigation follows months of inquiries, which indicated that El-Rufai, who was governor when Dadiyata disappeared, had knowledge of the abduction.
Dadiyata, a lecturer in the Department of English and Linguistics at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, was declared missing by his wife on August 1, 2019, after armed men reportedly abducted him from his Kaduna residence. His whereabouts remain unknown.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, said in an appearance on Arise TV last week that he had been told by a police officer that the officer was part of a team sent from Kano to abduct Dadiyata.
He denied knowledge of the missing man prior to the incident, stating that Dadiyata was a supporter of the Kwankwasiyya movement and a political opponent of the then Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
The DSS source told Vanguard that El-Rufai’s claim was inconsistent with investigations and social media posts by his sons, Bello and Bashir, which suggested that Dadiyata was known to the family and considered a political problem.
The source added that the DSS, in collaboration with the EFCC and ICPC, had spent months gathering evidence before approaching the former governor. The agency is also interested in questioning his sons in relation to the investigation.
Several Nigerian figures and civil society actors have called for the investigation of the El-Rufai family, including former Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje, AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, Reno Omokri, human rights activists Chidi Odinkalu and Deji Adeyanju and former Kaduna senator Shehu Sani.
The passport seizure follows reports by El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, that security agents attempted to arrest the former governor on arrival from Cairo.
El-Rufai’s lawyer, Ubong Akpan, said no formal warrant or invitation was presented during the encounter and the former governor’s passport was taken from an aide.
Mr. Akpan confirmed that the EFCC had delivered an invitation to El-Rufai in December 2025, which his team acknowledged and confirmed he would comply with on Monday.
The investigation remains ongoing.
