State committed to bringing back captive Mandera Chiefs-PS Omollo

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has assured the public that the government is actively working to secure the release of five chiefs abducted by Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera.

He dismissed claims that the state had abandoned them, stating that efforts are ongoing behind the scenes.

“There has been silence on the issue of the abducted chiefs, but there is a lot that is going on, some of which we may not be able to discuss on air,” Omollo said during an interview on Wednesday.

He emphasized that the government is avoiding direct military action in Somalia to prevent further loss of lives.

“As much as we are engaging and keeping the country secure, we don’t want to end up losing lives that ordinarily we would be able to save,” Omollo stated.

The PS explained that the government is in talks with Somali authorities to ensure the safe return of the captives.

“We are constantly engaging. The abductors crossed into our neighboring country. The borders are a temporary distinction between our countries, but the communities are basically the same. There is an active engagement that will eventually see to it that they are safely back in the country and resume their duties,” he said.

Omollo acknowledged that the abduction highlights the security risks posed by terrorism.

“Security is everyone’s concern, and these are chiefs working for a ministry that is about security. This demonstrates that none of us is immune to some of this insecurity,” he said.

Despite the government’s assurances, the families of the kidnapped chiefs say they have received no official communication.

“We have yet to hear from or even get a government officer visiting us and updating us on the search and rescue of our family members,” said Mohamed Okash, a relative.

He revealed that a group of elders sent by the community to negotiate with the militants had yet to meet them. “What we know so far is that our relatives are still alive but held separately in the Jilib area,” he added.

The five chiefs; Adawa Abdi Mohamed, Mohamed Hassan Kalumia, Mohamednur Hache, Abdi Hassan Suraw, and Ibrahim Gabow—were abducted in February while traveling in Elwak, Mandera County.

They were on their way to plan security for an expected visit by the president when their vehicle was ambushed.

Commenting on a separate incident, PS Omollo said security agencies are interested in questioning a Wajir County Assembly member who mysteriously reappeared after six months in captivity.

“It will be interesting to find out what happened during these six months. At one point, we had a body recovered in Wajir, and someone could be asking themselves, maybe there were two MCAs—one abducted and killed and another one abducted and finally has shown up. It will be good that we hold people to account,” he said.

He added that the government does not condone forced disappearances.

“It is not the government policy to abduct, and where there are excesses, we have a robust mechanism to hold people to account, particularly government officers,” Omollo stated.