Suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen kidnap chief in Mandera
What you need to know:
- Confirming to the nation, Arabia ward representative Abdullahi Abdirahman said armed men stopped two passenger vehicles that ply Mandera-Arabia road before screening every passenger for specific persons.
- The Arabia ward representative said the incident happened about 10 kilometres from Arabia, the same spot where the militia massacre 18 people travelling to Nairobi last year in November.
Heavily armed gunmen suspected to be members of Al-Shabaab on Thursday morning kidnapped senior Arabia chief in Mandera County.
Confirming to the nation, Arabia ward representative Abdullahi Abdirahman said armed men stopped two passenger vehicles that ply Mandera-Arabia road before screening every passenger for specific persons.
He said the gunmen then identified the senior chief, Muktar Maalim Ibrahim, and left with him on foot.
They, however, allowed other passengers to continue with their journey.
"They asked all passengers of the two vehicles to alight. After some screening they remained behind with the chief and released others to continue with their journey," he told the nation on phone.
“As the area MCA I condemn the kidnap of the chief. It’s very unfortunate that the government has not shown any willingness to trace these people even after we reported early. They could have caught up with these militia because they fled on foot," he said.
The Arabia ward representative said the incident happened about 10 kilometres from Arabia, the same spot where the militia massacre 18 people travelling to Nairobi last year in November.
