Suspected Al-Shabaab hijack miraa vehicle in Mandera
What you need to know:
- However, according to the Mandera Miraa Business Association Chairman, Mr Mohamed Abdi, the vehicle was hijacked at Fino shopping centre.
- On April 23, a chief from Lafey was kidnapped in the same area and later killed inside Somalia after a bus carrying passengers from Lafey to Mandera town was waved down only for the militants to kidnap the chief.
A pick-up transporting miraa from the Meru to Mandera town was on Saturday morning hijacked by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.
The vehicle was hijacked along Mandera-Lafey-Elwak road on the Kenya-Somalia border.
Confirming the 7am incident, Mandera County Commissioner Mr Alex Ole Nkoyo said the vehicle had overturned before the militants appeared from the thickets.
“The vehicle was coming to Mandera town but somewhere at Fino it overturned after sliding in the mud. The militants showed up and stopped a bus heading to Mandera from Lafey and forced passengers to push the miraa vehicle back to the road before they drove away in it,” said Mr Nkoyo.
He said security officers had already been deployed to the area to track and recover the vehicle.
However, Mandera Miraa Business Association Chairman Mr Mohamed Abdi contradicted the police and said the vehicle was hijacked at Fino shopping centre.
“The vehicle arrived at Fino and was waved down by armed men who took control and we have lost the vehicle and almost 2000kgs of Miraa from Maua area worth Sh400, 000,” said Mr Abdi.
A kilogram of miraa is sold at Sh200 wholesale price in Mandera town and at Sh300 retail price.
Kidnapping and hijacking cases have been on the rise in the area.
In one f the incidences, a chief from Lafey was kidnapped in the same area and later killed inside Somalia.
Al-Shabaab militants stopped a Mandera-bound bus and kidnapped the chief.
