At midday on Sunday, plainclothes NISA officers abducted journalist Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim of Himilo Media in Mogadishu, according to his colleagues. Khadar was on his lunch break when NISA officers approached him at a restaurant near Himilo Media’s offices in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu. A colleague who spoke to SJS said that was the last time they saw him.

Earlier on Sunday morning, before Khadar’s reported abduction, another Himilo Media journalist, Abdifatah Mohamed Hared, a cameraman, was stopped and slapped by NISA officers who had established a checkpoint on the road leading to Himilo Media’s offices which is in the same vicinity of opposition figures’ residences.

Abdifatah said he was on his way to work on Sunday morning when he encountered heavily armed NISA officers on the road. He said the officers asked where he was going. When he told them he was heading to Himilo Media, "they became irritated and began slapping” him. He was later allowed to proceed to the studio.

Himilo Media reported that "security forces took Khadar into custody around 1:30 PM; the forces involved were the same ones the government deployed around the residences of opposition figures.”

Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim, who is also the deputy director of the station, has been actively reporting on renewed tensions in Mogadishu between forces loyal to opposition leaders and government forces loyal to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

A significant security buildup has been observed since Friday in areas surrounding the residences of former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire. Media reports said Sharif accused President Mohamud of planning an attack on opposition leadership. On Sunday, media reports indicated that additional forces had been deployed near the Mogadishu Airport Road, where several opposition leaders reside. Reports also indicated that drones were hovering over the area.

The renewed tensions in Somalia capital are the result of disagreements between the federal government leadership and opposition leaders over constitutional amendments, the electoral system, and the timing of federal and state elections which remain unresolved. Armed clashes in the capital in June this year between the opposition forces and government troops caused deaths and injures.

In his last report for Himilo Media, journalist Khadar stated that former President Sharif had warned that "if he is attacked, he will defend himself.” On the same day, Khadar also interviewed MP Yusuf Hussein Gama’diid, the secretary of Sharif’s Himilo Qaran party, who accused President Mohamud of "provocation.”

Himilo Media also reported that residents living near the opposition leaders’ residences had "begun leaving the area” and that "businesses had closed” amid fears of a possible armed confrontation.

Meanwhile, in posts on X, NISA accused security personnel associated with Sheikh Sharif of "aggression” against NISA officers operating in Wadajir district, the same area where opposition leaders reside.

As of Monday, 12 October, Khadar’s whereabouts had not been officially disclosed, and NISA had not publicly explained why it had taken him into custody. However, a government security contact told SJS that Khadar was being held at a NISA facility known as "Godka Jila’ow 2” in Mogadishu. The facility is a known NISA-run interrogation and torture centre near Mogadishu Central Prison, where other journalists have been detained in the past.

This is the second time Khadar has been detained by security forces in Mogadishu. In October 2025, Khadar and his colleague Ahmed Mohamed Adan were arrested after covering forced evictions in the city. They were subsequently released by a court.

SJS calls on NISA to immediately release Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim and end the harassment of Himilo Media journalists in Mogadishu. SJS also calls for the protection and safety of all journalists reporting on tensions between opposition leaders and the government in Mogadishu.

"We strongly condemn the abduction of journalist Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim of Himilo Media and we demand that NISA immediately disclose his whereabouts and ensure his safe release. Journalists working for Himilo Media are being particularly targeted, and we call for these threats to stop,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.

"We also call on NISA and all other security forces to respect media freedom and the work of journalists, and to allow them to report independently on all developments in Mogadishu, including the reported security tensions in the capital. Civilians are concerned about their safety and need access to truthful and accurate information regarding their safety and security,” Mr. Mumin added.