Missing Lawyer Abshir Abdi Found Alive in Isiolo Thicket After 12 Days

Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi has been found alive, nearly two weeks after he was reported missing.

He was discovered dumped in a thicket in Isiolo County, according to Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama, who said the organisation had received reports that Abdi was found alongside his close friend Ayub Maalim.

Family Yet to Confirm

Kanjama said Abdi’s family was yet to formally confirm the reports, and that the lawyer would speak once the necessary steps had been taken.

“We have received reports that Lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi has been found alive in a thicket in Isiolo. That news is being verified right now as we speak,” Kanjama stated.

Sources said the lawyer, who had been missing for 12 days, was found dumped in the thicket. His brother reportedly received a call from an unknown number and recognised Abdi’s voice on the other end, learning of his whereabouts. He advised him to head to the nearest police station.

How He Disappeared

Abdi was seized by armed, masked men along Muchai Road off Ngong Road on Sunday, November 1. CCTV footage showed his car being pursued before crashing into a drainage channel, after which he was bundled into a black SUV.

His two companions also disappeared. His family and the LSK linked the incident to a pro bono case involving senior security officers.

Police have denied involvement.

LSK Points Finger at State Units

Kanjama accused government-sponsored units — the Special Operations Group (SOG), Operations Support Unit (OSU) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) — of carrying out the operation.

The LSK said it will continue pressing for accountability until those involved are brought to justice.

Court Summons and Protests

The High Court summoned senior police officials to explain Abdi’s whereabouts, while unconfirmed reports emerged on November 12 that he had been found.

Since his disappearance, lawyers and human rights activists have held court hearings and marched through Nairobi’s CBD to the Kenya Police Service headquarters at Vigilance House, demanding his release.

On November 9, a Makadara Law Courts magistrate summoned five individuals — including officers from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, National Intelligence Service and military intelligence — over alleged involvement in the disappearance.