Security fears in Mandera as police probe abduction of three mean

Armed al-Shabab fighters ride on pickup trucks as they prepare to travel into the city, just outside the capital Mogadishu, in Somalia on Dec. 8, 2008. [AP Photo]

Police are investigating an incident where three men were abducted by unknown people on Monday in Mandera County.

According to a police report, Derow Adan, together with his pillion passenger, Isak Abdulahi, were travelling from Elwak to Iresuki when their motorcycle developed mechanical problems.

The two then called Amare Ibrahim, a mechanic, to come assist them in repairing the motorcycle.

The motorcycle was then found abandoned on the Elwak-Mandera road at Bomba Doga, about 15 kilometres from Elwak town.

Somalia-based Al Shabaab terror group is suspected to be behind the abductions but the North Eastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno dismissed this claim, saying police were still probing the incident.

“We are still investigating. We got a raw report that we are following up on,” he said.

The disappearance of the three men has sparked fresh fears in the region over the activities of the terror group in the country.

On Tuesday, March 18, the convoy of Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was attacked with a bomb while travelling through the country’s capital, Mogadishu.

Reuters reported that this was the group’s first attack on the President since his first term in 2014, when they bombed a hotel where he was speaking.

According to Reuters, state media later posted photos of Mohamud in the Adan Yabal district, where Somali forces are battling the terror group for control.

"Our fighters targeted a convoy of vehicles carrying Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as they were leaving the presidential palace and heading to the airport,” reported Reuters quoting a statement posted on the terror group Telegram Channel.

The disappearance of the three men came a day after about 150 militants crossed over to Mangai Village, Boni Forest in Lamu County from Somalia on March 15.

According to locals, three men arrived in the village about three days before the incident where they donated dates to Muslims to break their Ramadhan fast.

They also lectured locals for about 30 minutes about the importance of Islam and Ramadhan urging them not to report the incident to the police or obey the Kenyan government.

Lamu County Commissioner Wesley Koech said that the police were in pursuit of the suspected Al Shabaab militants, adding that they could not engage them to avoid casualties.

On February 3, 2025, five chiefs who were traveling to assess the security situation in Mandera County before President William Ruto toured the region were kidnapped by suspected Al Shabaab militants.

The five are Mohamed Adawa, Mohamed Hassan, Abdi Hassan, Mohamed Noor Hache and Ibrahim Gabow.

Intelligence reports indicated that after their abduction, the five were then taken to the terror group’s headquarters in Jilib, Somalia.

These developments come even as fears continued to grow over the potential of Al Shabaab following reports of working closely with the Houthi Rebels.