Produce abduction victims in 24hrs, Garissa elders tell police

The Abduwak Council of Elders has given security agencies 24 hours to produce four people who have been missing for months.

Mohamed Shangalow, Mohamed Ibrahim, Idle Farah and Osman Yussuf were abducted on different dates in Garissa.

The elders, from the seven subclans, said it was wrong to kidnap individuals and fail to present them before the law as is required.

“This matter has subjected the families, friends and relatives of the abductees to mental anguish and suffering,” chairman Sheikh Yakub Olow said in a statement to the media. 

“It is for this reason that as the council of elders, we have been forced to intervene and call on the authorities to do the rightful thing, which is to produce these four men before a competent court of law within 24 hours as per the constitution.”

They also called out the NIS.  

“This council also has a bone to pick with the National Intelligence Services, whose mandate is to preempt threats but are violating these values by encouraging abductions and illegal detentions.”

The Garissa Human Rights Watch Group also expressed their concern.

Led by chairman Hassan Gumo, the group said the abductions have led to growing mistrust and disharmony between the government and residents.

“Over the past several months, there have been numerous reports of young men being abducted under unclear circumstances, with no official explanations provided to their families,” Gumo said.

The group called for the immediate transfer of all top security officers in the county, accusing them of abetting the abductions.

“We believe that a new team, committed to transparency, accountability, and the protection of human rights, is necessary to restore trust between the government and the people of Garissa county.” 

The Security Committee has remained unresponsive to their repeated appeals for information, they said. 

“The continued silence and inaction of the county security team have fostered a sense of fear and insecurity within our community, leading to increasing tensions and potential unrest.”

The watchdog added that the situation was "untenable and demand immediate action to address these issues".

This follows an incident two weeks ago, leaders, residents and human rights activists stormed a police station demanding to know the whereabouts of the four.

MCA Abdirahman Borr and his counterparts Hussein Dagane (Garissa Township), Idriss Ismail (Danyere), Ahmed Noor (Dekaharja) and Abdi Weli (Saka), were part of the group.

The residents camped outside Garissa police station for hours as the leaders engaged OCPD Edward Imbwaga.