Somali community leaders in the Coast Region have called upon the Directorate Criminal Investigations (DCI) to immediately investigate kidnappings and killings of Somali girls in the country.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Sakina Hall in Mombasa County, the leaders urged the police to seriously probe the matter, saying it has gone out of hand.
“We are giving the DCI 24 hours to launch an investigation into our girls’ kidnappings. We need immediate response to such situations as they seem to be following a certain pattern of victimisation across the country,” said Shartly Hassan, one of the leaders.
Missing
He added that so far, two girls have already been buried in Mombasa County, while five others are missing in Nairobi County.
“Our children have started to fear going to school. We do not know how to assure them of their safety,” he said.
The call for investigations came a few days after 19-year-old Najma Abdullahi, who had been missing for three days, was found with severe injuries in Changamwe, Mombasa.
“The cases are increasing daily. One of the cases happened in Changamwe, Mombasa and it is in court already. We will allow the process of justice to take its course,” said another leader, Ibrahim Dube.
He added that insecurity has been rampant amongst members of the Somali community, with four cases being reported in a span of only two days.
“Another saddening case has caught the attention of the whole country involving a lady being kidnapped, assaulted and harmed, while being recorded, in Nairobi. This is a wakeup call and we demand for justice from the government and different security stakeholders, “said Mr Dube.
Nominated Senator Iman Dekow condemned the ongoing kidnapping menace, and called on security agencies to act on the matter.
“There is a disturbing trend of abducting Kenyans of Somali origin, torturing them and seeking ransom from the victims’ families. I would like to ask the DCI to act swiftly and curb the abductions,” she wrote on her social media pages. BY DAILY NATION