Family pleads with IG to help trace abducted kin

Kin display photos of Amin Mohammed Alawi. The 28-year-old was abducted on January 3, 2023, in Nyali, Mombasa County. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

A family is searching for their 28-year-old son who was abducted by armed men from a restaurant in Nyali, Mombasa.

Police reports indicate that Amin Alawi was abducted at gunpoint on Tuesday night from the restaurant where he was hanging out with friends.

Amin's elder brother, Alawi Mohamed said, four armed men approached the group and ordered them to lie down and confiscated their phones.

"The assailants came to the restaurant at 9 pm and left with him at gunpoint," said Mohamed.

The family revealed that Amin, a tuk-tuk operator from Old Town was forced into a silver Probox by the assailants.

"My brother was kidnapped by people armed with guns and claimed to be police officers in Nyali. We are yet to find him. We want to know his whereabouts," said Mohamed.

Amin Mohammed Alawi. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

He defended his brother and the family saying they are law-abiding citizens.

"Our brother was a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record. He is a tuk-tuk operator and is a married man with a family. If he has done any wrong, he should be charged or booked at a police station," said Mohamed.

Amin's father, Mohammed Alawi, appealed to the government to help him trace his son. He said they migrated from Yemen to Somalia as refugees and later to Kenya due to war and they have lived peacefully.

"My son was abducted on January 3 at around 9 pm. He had gone out with his friends. It is only right to know where he is and what he did wrong. Am asking the government to help us find him," said Mohammed.

Human rights groups led by Haki Africa Programs Officer, Mathias Shipeta, called on the Inspector General of Police to help the family find their son.

Shipeta noted that there have been more than 100 forced disappearances in the last five years.

"It's sad that we opened the year with a case of forced disappearance. We ask the IG to search for the man. If he has committed any offence he should be taken to the police station, and if it was criminals let the police help the family to find him," he said.