MOGADISHU (Horn Observer) It was Thursday 23rd April when the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said it has forwarded a file case on the renowned Voice of America (VOA) journalist, Harun Maruf to the Office of the Attorney General to seek charges.
Both journalists were on NISA’s radar and at least to an extent within the spectrum of the eyes of its top commander Fahad Yasin Dahir.


The similarities of both Maruf and Abuuja is that, they were both critical to the security agencies- particularly the mostly overlooked behavioral abuses by NISA commanders and their allies, according to three NISA mid-level officers who spoke to Horn Observer.

The radio journalist Abuuja’s case within NISA started in July 2019, when he uncovered rampant corruption and human rights abuses including torturing detainees and extortion of money from minority persons, committed by the Shibis District Commissioner Abdirahman Sayid Ali, who was fired this week  on corruption and extortion charges. However, despite reporting the truth, that was sufficient to bring Abuuja’s name to the attention of NISA’s Shibis District commander, Liban Tima-Jilac, who relies his influence to his NISA superiors and hails from powerful clan, had his share on what the sacked commissioner Abdirahman collected from the district inhabitants. Abuuja hails from the often-marginalized clan, an overt and unshielded target of Liban Tima-Jilac.

"When Abuuja left Radio Danan we’ve been following him. We did not want to hastily do our things. We watched for him quietly,” one NISA source said adding deliberations to incriminate the young journalist were on their  table.

"We’re not silly. We know journalists are tough and sometimes smart. We had to find a good reason to put him trouble,” the source adds referring journalist Abuuja.

By 29th of February, three days after Abuuja’s critical article describing the brutality of the Somali security forces, he was stopped and was taken to NISA’s HQ known as Habar Khadiijo by Moalim Tima-Jilac (as he is commonly referred) and later transferred to Godka Jila’ow, the notorious NISA detention and torture facility near Villa Somalia.

Tima-Jilac asked the investigating officer Hamdi (NISA chief female investigator) to incarcerate Abuuja for being an "al-Shabaab member". Hamdi was reluctant to do that, as there were no adequate evidences to hold the journalist and eventually released on 2nd March. Family members told Horn Observer that Abuuja was released after he was blindfolded and tortured for two days for negating to confess of terror-related crimes including killing of a woman in Mogadishu in March last year.

Abuuja’s father, Abduwahaab Mahdi, a public notary owner and a former journalist and writer at Somali National News Agency (SONA), told Horn Observer that Tima-Jilac, district spy chief called his son sometime between 4th -6th March to inform that "a Jareer person” should not enjoy freedom or piece of life. "I’ll come for you. Be prepared,” Tima’Jilac told Abuuja before instantly ending the call. He was re-arrested on the morning of Saturday 7th March.

After holding incommunicado for 46 days, on Wednesday 22nd April, the Ministry of Information released a public statement claiming "Abuuja’s involvement in the killing of Bahsaney Boolaay who was shot dead by gunmen in Bondhere District in the evening of 6th March, 2019. According to local media coverage, the woman’s killers escaped despite police reaching the scene few minutes after. The Ministry, despite confirming Abuuja’s detention by NISA, did not provide evidence to its accusations.

According to a highly placed source within the Ministry of Information, the Villa Somalia Director of Communications, Mr. Abdinur Mohamed Ahmed, a cousin of NISA chief, had asked Minister of Information, Mohamed Abdi Hayir Maareeye to consider creating a scapegoat for Abuuja’s case before the situation becomes a blow to the government. That was on the evening of Monday 22nd April, hours after local journalists and media rights advocates hit the leadership of the government with a public protest on Abuuja’s imprisonment.

"We’re are not pressured by Abdinur alone. The streets were filling with anti-government slogans. Media campaigns jolted. And we were very sure international rights groups will jump into this chaotic case. We needed a quick deterrent,” this source who has access to the Minister’s office told Horn Observer on condition of anonymity, because he was not allowed to speak publicly.

Directors of Radio Danan, Mohamed Dek Barre Fiyoore, who Abuuja was previously employed and Radio Hiigsi, Hussein Ahmed Tifow where Abuuja worked as a news editor until his arrest, were quick to refute the Information Ministry’s statement.

"I’ve known Abuuja for more than seven years as his boss. I don’t believe what the Ministry is saying is true. I know him as a capable professional journalist. He is also a family man who continues to struggle to feed his family,” Mohamed Barre Fiyore of Radio Danan wrote on Facebook.

"It is not a surprise to us. We all knew these types of rubbish coming from NISA. They have been threatening Abuuja with these long ago. It is nonsense and trumped up allegations only meant for character killing against journalist Abuuja,” Hussein Tifow of Radio Hiigsi said.

Abuuja, who had no access to a lawyer, is yet to appear in the court.

HARUN MARUF’S CASE

Harun Maruf’s widely listened "The Dossier” was not adored at NISA headquarters. The spy agencies concern doubled when Maruf went far to dig deep in the well-planned al-Shabaab’s plot to assassinate the Mogadishu Mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman (Eng. Yariisow) in July last year. That was not the end. Between October and December last year, Maruf became first journalist to have access to al-Shabaab defectors- who later turned to become NISA officers.

"Harun [Maruf]’s case is difficult as it emanates from the top NISA commander [Fahad]. His recent interviews with rogue officers to expose al-Shabaab connections is the epicenter of the crisis now,” adds one NISA officer "Fahad wants to end Harun’s career for good.”

On Thursday evening NISA said it had sent the case against Maruf to the Attorney General. When Horn Observer contacted the Office of the Attorney General, they declined to discuss the matter.

Late last year, in his first direct meeting with the independent media, the Director of National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Fahad Yasin Dahir, a former journalist, informed Somali media directors and editors that the government will not tolerate opposition figures to criticize the government through the media and that local media who work with the government will be awarded- in attempt to gag the free press and put independent media coverage under complete control.