The disappearance of lawyers representing a Kenyan businessman allegedly involved in the seizure of a weapons cache at Mogadishu port in May this year has been reported.
Jared Magolo, the lawyer, has appealed to the Mombasa High Court for assistance in locating his client, Zakariya Kamala Sufi Abasheikh, who was detained by Kenyan police in April. Despite his efforts to obtain information from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), Magolo has been unsuccessful.
“I have made inquiries and visited the ATPU offices at the regional headquarters, but Abasheikh cannot be found, and the officers are withholding information,” Magolo stated.
Abasheikh, who is currently out on $6,770 bail, was scheduled to appear in Shanzu Court on September 22 but failed to appear.
“His family and friends are concerned about his safety, so I am compelled to request his presence in court or his release,” Magolo stated in the filed document addressed to Justice Ann Ong’injo.
The government has been given a two-week deadline to respond to the application.
According to Somali authorities, the seized items at Mogadishu Port on May 9 included five advanced JS crop drones, capable of carrying 10 liters of liquid up to 500 meters above sea level, and covering an area of 10 hectares.
Additional items discovered were rifle scopes, materials for military uniforms, canvas for tents, night vision goggles, swim goggles, voice recording pens, spy goggles and watches, military-grade two-way radios, helmets, ghillie suits (camouflage), portable solar panels, flashlights, and batteries.
The state, represented by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), has requested legal aid from both Somalia and China to gather evidence and testimonies regarding the cargo’s origin.