A popular musician in the North East has gone missing just days after releasing a scathing song accusing local lawmakers of corruption, police and family said Wednesday.

Ado Dahiru Daukaka went missing in the Adamawa State capital, Yola, after he left his house early on Friday to offer dawn prayers at a mosque.

His new song accuses politicians from President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling party of corruption and predicts they will not be voted in the 2019 election.

The song “Gyara Kayanka”, or ‘Put your house in order’ in the local Hausa language, accuses local lawmakers of being selfish and corrupt.

The family of the singer said he was a political target.

“It is obvious his disappearance is an abduction by some interests who are infuriated by his latest song which exposed corruption among legislators at the state house of assembly,” Daukaka’s relative Atiku Mustapha told AFP.

“We believe they abducted him as a warning to other critics like him. They just want to muzzle critics,” Mustapha said.

Hadiza Adamu, one of the singer’s two wives, said he had no enemies.

“My husband is not known to be at loggerheads with any one. The only explanation we could provide is that he could have angered some powerful interests with his songs,” said Adamu, who gave birth just five days before he went missing.

“We call on whoever is behind his disappearance to have pity on us and release him unharmed,” she said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Adamawa State Command, Othman Abubakar, said an investigation has been launched but declined to comment if the disappearance was linked to the song.

Fierce critics

Daukaka became popular following Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999 with a hit in praise of then-state governor Murtala Nyako.

Local singers are fierce critics in northern Nigeria with their songs that tackle everything from forbidden love to political discontent.

One of the country’s most popular singers, Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, was imprisoned by Buhari during his short-lived reign as military ruler in the 80’s.

Kuti’s arrest on charges of currency smuggling were dismissed by human rights groups who argued he was a political detainee after criticising the government.

AFP