Nairobi lawyer Ahmedsadak Abdi Abshir was forcibly abducted by armed men in tactical gear along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, in the early hours of Sunday, November 1, 2026. His whereabouts remain unknown, and the circumstances of the abduction and the identities of those involved are unclear. Abshir had reportedly filed complaints alleging harassment and intimidation by Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) and National Intelligence Service (NIS) officers.
According to CCTV footage, armed men in military-style tactical gear and bulletproof vests chased Abshir as he tried to flee. They caught up with him, forced him to the ground, and restrained him. A black vehicle then pulled up, and he was dragged inside before it drove off. His white Toyota Premio, registration KDL 356C, was later found abandoned along Muchai Road and towed to Kilimani Police Station.
Abshir's family has gone to the High Court to compel the State to produce him. His brother, Zakaria Abshir, filed an urgent habeas corpus application at the Milimani High Court asking the judges to compel security agencies to produce the advocate and explain his disappearance. In a supporting affidavit, Zakaria recounted what members of the public allegedly told investigators.
The abduction is linked to a case Abshir is involved in against some senior police officers, and he has been subjected to various intimidation tactics prior to this incident. Abshir had lodged a formal complaint accusing anti-terror police and intelligence officers of harassing him to withdraw from a criminal case. The complaint letter, dated October 25, 2025, accused the ATPU Nairobi Detachment of being "weaponised" to defeat the ends of justice.
The complaint letter alleged that Abshir was arrested on October 9, 2025, and another client, Ahmed Abdi Hassan, on October 24, 2025, by ATPU officers accompanied by two National Intelligence Service officers. The arrests were reportedly linked to abduction allegations made by a man named Ahmed Ali Mohamed. Abshir swore in his affidavit that he was interrogated harshly at ATPU headquarters and told to persuade the accused to withdraw the charges.
Abshir's affidavit alleged that the officers threatened to fabricate charges, including terrorism-related ones, and to detain him so that he could not attend court. He added that the threats were accompanied by insults in Somali. The allegations in the letter and affidavit are his own and have not been tested in court. The documents contain no response from the accused parties.
The incident has raised concerns about police involvement in extrajudicial abductions, despite repeated assurances that they will end. The police cannot behave as if the life of a Kenyan doesn’t matter, and they are not above the law. The family said Abshir's mobile phones have been switched off since the incident, and they have filed a missing person report at Kilimani Police Station.
Key points
- The abduction of Ahmedsadak Abdi Abshir has been linked to a case he is involved in against some senior police officers.
- Abshir had lodged a formal complaint accusing anti-terror police and intelligence officers of harassing him to withdraw from a criminal case.
- The incident has raised concerns about police involvement in extrajudicial abductions.
