High Court Orders NIS, DCI to Produce Dead or Alive Nairobi Lawyer Abducted by Heavily Armed Men

The High Court has ordered senior security officials to produce missing Nairobi lawyer Ahmedsadak Abdi Abshir before court by 2:30pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, following his alleged abduction by armed men.

The court directed the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the National Police Service, the Counter Terrorism Bureau, and the Directorate of Military Intelligence to account for the lawyer's whereabouts.

Attorney General, Noordin Haji and Amin Mohammed were also among those directed to appear before the court.

The respondents have been summoned to explain the circumstances of Abshir's detention, produce any lawful warrants authorising it and show cause why he should not be released immediately.

Abshir was reportedly seized by armed men in the early hours of Sunday, November 1, along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road in Nairobi.

His whereabouts have remained unknown since the incident, with his family turning to the High Court to compel the government to disclose where he is being held.

Court documents indicate that Abshir had previously raised concerns about alleged harassment by anti-terrorism police and intelligence officers.

The Nairobi lawyer had reportedly accused the officers of pressuring him to withdraw from a criminal case, prompting him to seek intervention from the relevant authorities.

A complaint letter attached to the court filings shows that his advocates, Mugeria, Lempa & Kariuki Advocates LLP, wrote to DCI Director Amin Mohamed Ibrahim on October 25, 2025.

The letter, which was stamped as received by the DCI, the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on October 27, 2025, raised allegations against officers attached to the ATPU Nairobi Detachment.

The advocates accused the unit of being "weaponised" to defeat the ends of justice, suggesting that its officers were using their authority to interfere with ongoing criminal proceedings.

The complaint further detailed two separate arrests involving Abshir and another client, Ahmed Abdi Hassan.

According to the letter, ATPU officers arrested Abshir on October 9, 2025, before taking Ahmed Abdi Hassan into custody on October 24, 2025.

The officers were allegedly accompanied by two NIS officers identified in the complaint as Siyad Mohamed and Abdirahman.

The allegations raise questions about the conduct of security officers and the circumstances surrounding the lawyer's disappearance.

The latest court intervention now places the responsibility on the named government agencies and officials to account for Abshir's whereabouts and demonstrate the legal basis for any detention.

The circumstances of his reported abduction, including the identities of the armed men involved, remain unclear.