By Farooq Kperogi

Now that Abdullahi Ganduje has issued a (tepid) denial of Nasir El-Rufai’s televised allegation of his complicity in Abubakar “Dadiyata” Idris’ unexplained disappearance, I have a few thoughts to share.

Dadiyata and I followed each other on Twitter when I was active there, so I have a fair sense of what he tweeted about. El-Rufai correctly described Dadiyata as a Kwankwasiyya devotee. But Dadiyata was openly critical not just of Ganduje but of several APC figures, including Buhari and El-Rufai. Sadly, his Twitter handle has now been disabled, perhaps because of extended inactivity.

When Dadiyata was active on Twitter, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Atiku Abubakar were in the PDP, and Kwankwaso’s supporters were strongly associated with Atiku’s presidential bid.

While Ganduje may indeed have had strong political incentives to view Dadiyata as a threat in view of the intense rivalry between Ganduje and Kwankwaso, El-Rufai’s suggestion that Dadiyata was not a fierce critic of his does not square with the public record.

From my recollections, Dadiyata’s Twitter commentary frequently targeted El-Rufai, as many people have already pointed out.

It is also difficult to ignore that Bashir El-Rufai, El-Rufai’s son, had, in a December 2019 tweet, mocked both Dadiyata’s disappearance and the social media campaign for his safe return, saying, “Dangerous lies in the public space have consequences.”

That’s no proof that El-Rufai was guilty of disappearing Dadiyata, but given El-Rufai’s close relationship with his children, Bashir’s tweet is at least circumstantial evidence of El-Rufai’s knowledge of and unease with Dadiyata’s biting commentaries (disguised as “dangerous lies in the public space”) and his interest in making him pay for it (“consequences”).

From my perspective, both El-Rufai and Ganduje have a probable political and emotional investment in squelching and disappearing Dadiyata, and I won’t be shocked if it later emerges that they collaborated to achieve this and that El-Rufai is squealing now only because he is still smarting from his painful exit from the inner circle of power, is now politically at odds with Ganduje, and thinks there will be no consequence for his disclosure.

I searched credible public records for a list of critics El-Rufai caused to be arrested, detained, prosecuted, or tortured when he was governor. Although many people mention “more than 20,” I was able to verify 15.

The U.S. State Department’s 2019 Human Rights Report, for example, said nine community elders in Southern Kaduna were detained “by order of Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai” in retaliation for criticizing him.

In 2016, a journalist by the name of Jacob Onjewu Dickson was arrested and charged for reporting that El-Rufai was pelted with stones. In the same year, Dr. John Danfulani, a lecturer, was arrested and prosecuted for his criticism of El-Rufai.

Other critics El-Rufai arrested and harassed are Audu Maikori (music executive, 2017); Luka Binniyat (journalist, 2017); Stephen Kefas (journalist/activist, 2019); and Bello Yabo (Islamic scholar, 2020).

The 15 is not, by any means, a ceiling. It is merely the lowest defensible count from cases I can verify. But I am certain there are more.

As for Ganduje, I have found at least five identifiable people who were arrested, detained, remanded, or taken to court for criticizing him.

They are Mu’azu Magaji, former Kano commissioner and critic; Abdulmajid Danbilki Kwamanda, politician and critic; Mubarak Muhammad and Nazifi Isa Muhammad, TikTok satirists; and Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of Daily Nigerian.

While most governors in Nigeria are morbidly intolerant of even the mildest criticism, El-Rufai enjoys notoriety as perhaps the most thin-skinned and intolerant governor since 1999.

Given their records of intolerance to criticism, the best I can surmise is that El-Rufai and Ganduje found common cause in silencing Dadiyata since he was severely critical of both of them.

Now, since El-Rufai appears to have information about Dadiyata’s disappearance, even going so far as to mention an unnamed police officer who reputedly told someone that Dadiyata’s arrest was ordered from Kano, we have, for the first time ever, a solid, potentially helpful investigatory lead.

Law enforcement authorities should, without delay, invite El-Rufai to disclose the identity of the police officer under conditions that allow independent verification. Ganduje’s disclaimer is not enough. He should also be questioned.

The disappearance of a citizen over expressed opinions is too grave to be reduced to political theater or media spectacle. I hope this provides an opportunity for Dadiyata’s family to get closure on this sordid episode.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has relieved Engr. Buba Galadima of his appointment as Chairman of the Governing Council of Kano State Polytechnic.

The development was announced in a statement issued on Saturday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.

According to the statement, the governor has approved the appointment of the Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir, as the new Chairman of the institution’s Governing Council.

The government said the decision was part of ongoing restructuring efforts aimed at aligning the polytechnic with the administration’s “Kano First Agenda.”

Although members of the Governing Council are expected to serve a three-year tenure, the statement noted that Galadima’s appointment was terminated before its expiration due to reforms targeted at enhancing the institution’s performance.

Governor Yusuf expressed appreciation to Galadima for his service during his time as chairman and wished him well in his future endeavours.

He also urged the newly appointed chairman to deploy his experience and leadership capacity toward repositioning Kano State Polytechnic for improved academic and administrative excellence.

Galadima, a prominent figure in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and a close ally of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has been vocal in recent political developments in the state.

In an earlier interview with Trust TV, conducted amid speculation about Governor Yusuf’s political realignments, Galadima cautioned the governor against taking actions he described as contrary to Kwankwaso’s political influence.

He had asserted that many political office holders in Kano, across party lines, emerged through what he called the “Kwankwaso school of politics,” describing the former governor as a key political force in the state.

The latest development comes against the backdrop of shifting political dynamics in Kano State.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Ramadan is unlikely to commence in Nigeria on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, following astronomical projections that indicate the crescent moon will not be visible on Tuesday evening.

Abubakar Simwal, an astronomer and member of the National Moonsighting Committee of Nigeria, said calculations show that the new moon will be too young and positioned too low on the horizon to be sighted—either with the naked eye or through a standard telescope.

According to Simwal, the astronomical conjunction of the Ramadan moon will occur at 1:01 p.m. Nigerian time on Tuesday, February 17. By sunset that day, the crescent will be less than six hours old across Nigeria, with an average elongation of about two degrees.

He added that the moon is expected to set approximately nine minutes after sunset nationwide, a window he described as insufficient for visibility under established astronomical criteria.

“With this data, it is astronomically established that the crescent will not be visible in Nigeria on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, either with the naked eye or with a standard telescope. These calculations are carried out with a high degree of precision,” Simwal said.

Based on the projections, Ramadan is therefore likely to begin on Thursday, February 19, subject to official confirmation.

However, the formal declaration of the commencement of Ramadan rests with the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs under the leadership of the Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, following the nationwide moonsighting exercise.