MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – Jubbaland opposition politician Abdiweli Qasim Gabow has revealed that he was abducted in Mogadishu a few days ago while walking near the Sayidka-Dabka junction, a heavily secured area within the vicinity of Villa Somalia, the presidential palace.
In a Facebook post, Gabow recounted being forcibly taken by armed men in a military vehicle, who are suspected to be intelligence officers.
“A few days ago, in Mogadishu, while I was leaving my residence near the perimeter of the presidential palace, a group of men in a military vehicle forcibly took me from the area between the Sayidka monument and the presidential palace—a highly secured zone with a heavy military presence. The men informed me that they were ordered to detain me, but they did not provide any details about the reason or who issued the order,” Gabow wrote.
“They confiscated my phone, which I had been using to send distress signals, and attempted to blindfold me. After considerable commotion and internal disagreements among themselves, they eventually returned me to the exact spot where I had been taken without taking me to any detention center,” he stated.
to his luck, Gabow says he managed to send distress signals using his phone before it was confiscated.
The men allegedly attempted to blindfold him but later returned him to the exact location from which he was taken without transferring him to any detention center.
“Finally, I regained my freedom without any further explanation. I was not subjected to physical harm or any other mistreatment,” he wrote.
According to Gabow, subsequent investigations by government officials revealed that both his abduction and release were ordered by a senior officer within the Somali intelligence services.
However, no further details about the incident have been disclosed by the Somali government.
Gabow expressed gratitude to those who worked to resolve the situation without naming them.
Abdiweli Qasim Gabow is part of a Jubbaland opposition group based in Mogadishu.
Reports suggest that tensions have escalated between the Somali federal government and Jubbaland opposition figures, following alleged attempts by the federal government to co-opt opposition leaders into its political agenda.
Gabow and his colleagues reportedly rejected such moves, placing them at odds with federal authorities once again.