Somalia: Col. Abdihakim Farey nominated as the head of National Security Agency’s Mogadishu Branch

The chief of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency -NISA Gen. Abdirahman Mohamud Turyare had this week nominated Col. Abdihakim Ahmed Farey, a well-known figure in the private education sector, to lead the National Intelligence and Security Agency’s branch of Banadir region, which is in charge of the security of the capital city.
Col. Abdihakim Ahmed Farey, who is considered as one of the key figures that revived the private education sector after the collapse of Somalia government in 1991, replaced Col. Mohamed Adan Jimale aka Col. Koofi, who was leading NISA’s Mogadishu branch for the last 2 years.
Abdihakim Farey, joined the national security forces in 2009, when Sharif Sheikh Ahmed became the President of Somalia and Alshabab intensified its attacks on every person that didn’t show sympathy to its ideology. During that period the schools in Mogadishu became under direct threat of Alshabab’s recruitment strategy, which forced many private education leaders to quit from the business and turned to join the forces in a move to counter Alshabab.
The NISA Chief said up on nominating that “Abdihakim Farey in a very competent, talented, educated and loyal to his people and country that makes him deserve to be promoted for the position to command the intelligence and security of the capital city, which is very important” “We will very much anticipate to see his talent and experience to make the city secure and improve the relation between the security forces and the public” he added.
Up on accepting the position Col. Abdihakim Farey promised to serve every seconds of his life to create safe environment for the people of Banadir Region, the capital city of Somalia, which is his mandate of duty.
Abdihakim Farey, who received intelligence training from many different countries including Egypt, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and others, have enormous knowledge in counter intelligence techniques and had worked as the chief security officer of the Presidential Palace, the Villa Somalia.
Col. Abdihakim Farey, who succeeds Col. Mohamed Adam Koofi, had established several schools in Mogadishu before he joined the forces, and among the schools he established include Aalami, Salaam and Sayid Mohamed Secondary school in Mogadishu, which produced thousands of students that took certifications from these school that facilitated them to join the universities of the country and abroad.
Abdihakim Farey, was one of the leading members of 2006 public upraising that resulted the Islamic courts union to defeat the warlords from Mogadishu with massive support from the public mainly students organized by Farey and his colleagues at the public upraising leadership.
Col. Abdihakim Ahmed Farey was born in Baladweyne town of Hiiraan region of central Somalia in 1968, he took his primary education in the same town, but early 1990s he traveled to Sudan, where he learnt in the universities of Sudan before he returned to the country in 1998.
Col. Abdihakim Farey served in NISA with different posts including the head of the foreign relations, the head of the Security of the presidential palace, head of the planning and training, the senior adviser of NISA chief and other posts.
Col. Farey is taking the office a time the relation between the NISA officials and the local media is badly stained by drastic orders imposed by his predecessors and his reign is highly anticipated to reshape the NISA approach towards the independent media of Somalia.