By Collins Wanzallah
The family of Wajir Member of County Assembly (MCA) Yusuf Hussein Ahmed, who went missing last week, has moved to court, seeking an order for the police to produce him in court.
In an application filed by his cousin, Abdikadir Abdillahi, it states that the MCA went missing from South B Estate on the night of 13th September 2024 when he was forcefully removed from a taxi he had ordered at 8 PM.
Abdikadir claims that, four days after the incident, no one has accounted for the whereabouts of Yusuf, who is the MCA for Dela Ward in Wajir County. He added that two occurrence books (OBs) have been filed at Industrial Police Station regarding the incident.
“The whereabouts of Yusuf Hussein Ahmed remain unknown, and there is reasonable fear that he was abducted by officers attached to the Inspector General of Police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who have refused to allow his family to visit him in custody or present him before a court of law to answer any charges,” Abdikadir stated in court documents.
He further argued that unless the court intervenes and compels the police to produce Yusuf in court or any court with the requisite jurisdiction, his family will continue to suffer anxiety and stress due to his forced disappearance and abduction, without any legal proceedings.
Abdikadir insisted that Yusuf has an absolute right to habeas corpus and a fair trial, and should be subjected to due legal process rather than being abducted, leaving his family in anguish over his whereabouts.
The petitioner emphasised that the police are not above the law and should be made to respect and obey the Constitution and the laws of the land.
“It is wholly illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust for the respondents to treat my cousin as a second-class citizen and subject him to inhumane and degrading treatment,” the court documents stated.
A press conference was held on Tuesday, 17th September 2024, outside Milimani Court, where family members, several County Assembly members led by Speaker Abdilleh Yusuf, and lawyer Danstan Omari called for the immediate production of the missing MCA.
They argued that the continued detention of Yusuf is against the law and an abuse of human rights.
