Family in fear after arrest of Akasha son, foreigners

The son of slain drug baron Ibrahim Akasha and two foreigners were arrested on Saturday and driven to an unknown location.

Mr Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla, Mr Gulam Hussein and Mr Vijaygiri Anandgiri Goswami, who are facing extradition to the United States on drug-related offences, were taken from the Akasha house in Nyali, Mombasa.

Mr Baktash Akasha is missing and believed to be in custody.

The Akasha family fears the four might be extradited to the US.

The three were arrested by detectives from Nairobi, said their lawyer Cliff Ombeta.

The criminal lawyer said among officers who arrested them were Anti-Terror Police Unit boss Munga Nyale and a senior Directoate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) official.

Mr Ombeta said he was yet to establish the whereabouts of his clients.

“We have gone to all police stations in Mombasa but have not seen them,” said Mr Ombeta at the Akasha house.

“We are still in the dark about this operation. “My clients’ phones have been switched off.”

The lawyer added that when he arrived at the Akasha home, he was threatened by several police officers.

“An officer held a gun to my head and started frisking me,” said Mr Ombeta. “He didn’t listen even when I told him I was unarmed.

“I will take action against him.”

According to police sources, the three are connected to a container seized at the Port of Mombasa.

“We have not been told anything about the container,” said Mr Ombeta.

The police source said the three knew the person linked to the container.

Contacted, Mombasa police boss Patterson Maelo said investigations into the arrest and the container were under way.  

Mr Ombeta claimed that the State is intimidating his clients after sensing that it was losing the extradition case.

“You saw what happened last week, and that is why they want to do things out of court,” said the lawyer.

On Wednesday, the High Court halted extradition proceedings against the Akasha siblings and the two foreigners.