Somali Intelligence Officer Suspended Amid Allegations of Kidnapping, Extortion, and Sexual Violence

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 25 August 2024 19:00

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Somali Intelligence Officer Suspended Amid Allegations of Kidnapping, Extortion, and Sexual Violence

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - A mid-ranking Somali intelligence officer has been suspended, and an investigation is underway following allegations of kidnappings, extortion, and sexual violence in Mogadishu, senior officials from Somalia'

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(PICTURED) NISA Captain Mohamed Kafi Abukar, also known as Mohamed Sheikh Abukar.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) - A mid-ranking Somali intelligence officer has been suspended, and an investigation is underway following allegations of kidnappings, extortion, and sexual violence in Mogadishu, senior officials from Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) told Horn Observer.

NISA Captain Mohamed Kafi Abukar, also known as Mohamed Sheikh Abukar, an affiliate of the former NISA head, Mahad Mohamed Salad (fired), has been suspended as the investigation begins. Abukar, who joined NISA from the Ministry of Information, is accused of targeting vulnerable women, luring them into spying, and then subjecting them to sexual violence, including gang rape, for more than two years.

"Allegations of kidnapping, extortion, enforced disappearances, and sexual violence targeting both innocent women and men have been commonly used,” said one of the investigators appointed by NISA's new director. "Such behavior is something we cannot accept if we want to restore trust between the agency and the public. Currently, NISA has become a rogue agency, and one way to address this is to suspend all those involved.”

After assuming office in April, NISA Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe) has reportedly authorized a three-member committee tasked with reforming the agency.

The source noted that while prosecuting those found guilty is ideal, the reality is that some suspects hail from armed clans and have already fled Mogadishu.

"These individuals are being protected by their clans or powerful figures, making it difficult to apprehend them," he said.

The committee, composed of experts, was first assigned to investigate gross misconduct including financial crimes within the agency in April this year, following the cabinet’s removal of former NISA chief Mahad Salad, a notorious gang leader.

In February, a UK-trained air traffic controller, Abdinasir Muse Abdurahman (Dahable), was strangled and killed in cold blood in his apartment in Mogadishu’s Wadajir neighborhood. One of the suspects involved in Dahable's assassination has reportedly left the country.

Hassan Dahir, a mid-ranking NISA officer, allegedly fled Mogadishu for Nairobi, Kenya, with the help of relatives in Kenya. Dahir, from the Habargidir/Hawiye clan, is considered a key suspect in the murder plot that resulted in Dahable’s death.

Originally from Gabiley, Somaliland, 32-year-old Dahable, hailing from the Isaaq clan, had received training and employment from the UN International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) before joining the Somali civil aviation sector in 2018. He had recently completed his master’s education in the UK before returning to Mogadishu.

Dahable’s family recently began fundraising efforts from exile to ensure justice for the young man, who left behind a pregnant wife and a son, and to hold his perpetrators accountable.

The investigation faced significant challenges as many of those implicated in the violations were still employed by the agency. In May, investigators recommended the removal and suspension of dozens of senior, mid-rank, and junior officers, including recent defectors from the terror group Al-Shabaab who were promoted to senior positions without due diligence, posing significant risks, officials said.

On 21 May, NISA made new appointments by removing key officers in charge of the Mogadishu Aden Adde airport and the Banadir regional command.

The investigators found that six civilians detained in connection with Dahable’s case were also severely tortured during interrogation by NISA officers.

In Abukar’s case, they discovered that not only did he hold an unearned officer rank as an intelligence captain, but he was also conducting mass surveillance targeting critical journalists, politicians and business community for extortion campaign.

A source at the Ministry of Internal Security, which oversees NISA, informed our reporter that the Minister of Internal Security had been notified about the ongoing investigation, which affects dozens of NISA officers.

The investigators also reported missing weapons and cash from the agency’s coffers, allegedly withdrawn shortly before Salad’s removal in April.