Mandera bullet racket lands KDF officer in court
What you need to know:
- The county commissioner said in the July 7 attack in which 14 people were killed in Mandera Town, a mixture of spent cartridges used in different firearms were found.
- He said the government did not rule out the possibility that security officers were involved in the recent attack following the arrest of the duo.
- The affidavit also says that during interrogation at the KDF camp in Mandera, Private Mohamed admitted to have stolen the ammunition and sold them to the prison officer.
Police in Mandera have arrested a KDF soldier and a prison warder after recovering three hundred 7.62mm-calibre bullets that disappeared from a military base.
On Monday Mandera County Commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo said the ammunition was stolen from a military armoury and found hidden in the warder’s house in Mandera Town.
Speaking to the Nation, Mr Nkoyo said Constable Abdinasir Kulane Alio, who was arraigned in court yesterday, and a Kenya Defense Forces private, Ahmed Haji Mohammed, were arrested on Friday when KDF raided Mandera Prison.
“We have arrested one prison officer who was hiding ammunition sold to him by a military officer. Already, the military has taken action against its officer. It’s a major breakthrough since 300 lives were going to be lost as one round is equivalent to one life,” said Mr Nkoyo.
“We are digging deeper because it indicates that as we focus on fighting terrorism from outside, we have a problem from inside the system,” he said.
Mr Nkoyo expressed fears that officers from a local community were having a hand in the terror activities within Mandera.
“It’s very likely that officers are participating in the terror activities in this county and in the clan conflicts in Mandera,” he said.
The county commissioner said in the July 7 attack in which 14 people were killed in Mandera Town, a mixture of spent cartridges used in different firearms were found.
Among them were 7.62mm-calibre bullets for G3 rifles, which are a standard issue for the military and the police.
“We are still trying to establish the source of the G3 cartridges found at the scene because we know the militia in Somalia does not have these firearms,” said Mr Nkoyo.
He said the government did not rule out the possibility that security officers were involved in the recent attack following the arrest of the duo.
“The two officers are from the Garre community and we have information that the ammunition was destined for clan militia as tension builds up in the Banisa and Rhamu areas but we are very alert,” he said.
North Eastern Regional Prisons Commander Omar Tawane warned that law-breaking officers would not be tolerated. He said Constable Alio had served at the Mandera GK Prison for a year after he was transferred from Garissa.
An affidavit by police constable Lucas Juma stated that on July 17, the officer commanding 9KR-C KDF was informed that 150 rounds of 7.62mm-calibre bullets had been found concealed in a bag belonging to Private Mohamed, an officer serving under his command.
Upon verification of the ammunition, it was established that 300 rounds of the same calibre were missing.
The affidavit also says that during interrogation at the KDF camp in Mandera, Private Mohamed admitted to have stolen the ammunition and sold them to the prison officer.
“He led the KDF officers to Mandera GK Prison, where one suspect, Mr Abdinasir Kulane Alio, was arrested and let the team to where he kept the bag in a residential house outside the prison compound,” states Mr Juma in the affidavit.
“I have perused the affidavit by police constable Lucas Juma and remand the suspect at Mandera Police Station for seven days from the date herein,” ruled Mandera Senior Resident Magistrate, Peter Areri.
