On the night of Saturday, January 25, armed NISA officers raided the home of Sharif Abdi in Mogadishu’s Waberi district.

However, family members told SJS that the officers began tracking him after failing to find him at his residence.

Later that evening, NISA officers detained the journalist at another location far from his home.

A family member and one of Sharif’s colleagues told SJS that the NISA officers who detained him were using a mobile tracking device to locate him.

SJS has been informed that the journalist was taken to the notorious NISA detention and torture facility known as Godka Jila’ow in Mogadishu, where he is currently being held.

Family members attempted to visit him but were denied access, leaving them unaware of his safety and well-being.

Sharif, who uses Facebook for his reporting, primarily covers security operations in the Hiiraan region, central Somalia, where he hails from.

In his reports reviewed by SJS, Sharif has been critical of NISA Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbalolshe).

In his last report, published on Saturday, January 25, before his arrest, Sharif discussed the rift between the NISA chief and local clan elders in Hiiraan regarding a planned military operation against Al-Shabaab.

The region has recently witnessed increased inter-clan conflict amid the ongoing Al-Shabaab threat.

A government source told SJS that NISA officials were angered by the journalist’s report, prompting NISA Chief Mr. Sanbalolshe, who also doubles as a member of parliament, to order his arrest.

“We strongly condemn the unlawful and continued detention of journalist Sharif Abdi. His arrest is yet another attack on press freedom in Somalia and it poses a threat to wider journalist community who cover issues about security operations and the conflict,” said SJS Secretary General, Abdalle Mumin.

“We call on NISA officials to release Sharif Abdi unconditionally and to end their harassment of journalists who are critical of them and other government officials.”

The post SJS: NISA Chief Must Immediately Free Journalist Sharif Abdi from Unlawful Detention in Mogadishu appeared first on Kaab TV.

According to the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), Sharif, a local online journalist, had recently posted criticisms of NISA on his social media platforms.

The journalist was not present during the raid, but armed officers forcibly entered the house, harassed family members, and left in a pickup truck.

“SJS is concerned over the targeting of journalists who criticize Somali security agencies, especially amid ongoing tensions surrounding the country’s elections,” the journalists’ association said in a statement on Saturday.

In a related development, Somaliland authorities released journalist Shafi’i Abdi Mohamed, commonly known as Shaaciye, who had been detained in Hargeisa since January 16, 2025.

🚨ALERT: At approximately 8:00pm local time this evening, armed officers from #Somalia‘s national intelligence #NISA raided a house at #Waberi district, #Mogadishu, where journalist Sharif Abdi, a local online journalist lives.

Shariif had recently been posting criticisms… pic.twitter.com/E6tJRZf2Uk

— Somali Journalists Syndicate – SJS (@sjs_Somalia) January 25, 2025

Shaaciye, known for his critical posts about Somaliland officials on Facebook, was arrested shortly after returning to Hargeisa from Mogadishu, where he had been living for a year.

SJS reported that Somaliland police raided Shaaciye’s home and arrested him under orders from Somaliland Police Commander Mohamed Adan Saqadhi.

Authorities in Somaliland have not commented on the reasons for his detention.

Shaaciye had previously fled Hargeisa, citing threats from Somaliland’s national intelligence due to his critical posts.

During his time in Mogadishu, he continued his journalistic work, frequently reporting on police corruption and public grievances about the Somaliland police commander.

The post NISA Raids Home of Critical Journalist as Somaliland Frees Detained Reporter appeared first on Kaab TV.