Somalia: Was NISA agent murdered in Mogadishu?

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Missing National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] agent Ikran Tahil Farah was murdered in Mogadishu just hours after she was picked from her house, a former senior spy has alleged, in what could give the case a new dimension.

According to Brigadier General Abdalla Abdalla, who once served as NISA's deputy director, Ms. Farah, 24, was murdered on June 26, the night she was picked from her house which is situated in the highly protected area within the capital.

The former director further claims the agent was secretly buried in one of the cemeteries in Mogadishu. However, he failed to give credible evidence to support his claims, which could cause political friction in the country's capital.

But before making such sensational claims, Abdalla Abdalla posted a CCTV footage purportedly showing a vehicle picking the young cybercrime officer from her house near NISA headquarters in Godka Jilicow where terrorists are being held.

The Toyota Hilux is parked for around 5 minutes before it's driven to darkness, but all the occupants could not be properly established given the poor view. Since his disappearance, the young sleuth has never been found.

The missing girl is closely associated with top NISA leadership and was a close confidante of its Director-General Fahad Yasin. She was sent to the UK for training courses. Allegations are NISA is behind her disappearance but the agency has remained tight-lipped.

Multiple sources claim that the youthful employee at the spy agency was picked at around 20:01Hrs local time by a car from her residence near the heavily fortified NISA headquarters only to fail to return home, over 20 days later. The family is now in distress.

For a vehicle to drive to the vicinity of NISA headquarters, it must get authorization from security chiefs, or at least, it must be subjected to serious checks by those in charge. Usually, there is a sheet for the registration of vehicles that make entry to the area.

NISA headquarters are some of the protected areas in Somalia a party from the Ministry of Defense headquarters, the presidential palace, and the Halane Base Camp which hosts several diplomatic missions in the Horn of Africa nation.

Qali Mohamud Guhad, the mother of the missing girl, now wants all the CCTV footage during the said date to be reviewed for the family to get a clue on the whereabouts of her daughter. She flew from Ankara, Turkey to make a follow-up on her missing girl.

According to sources, Ikran worked closely with former Banadir Governor Eng. Yarisow was assassinated by the Al-Shabaab militants in 2019. Yarisow was one of the popular politicians in Somalia until his unfortunate demise.

The mother has also taken a swipe at the Fahad Yasin-led NISA, wondering why the agency has never shown any commitment to finding her missing daughter despite a series of complaints that have been raised by the immediate family.

Ikran is among the youth who studied abroad and came back to war-torn Somalia. Her destiny remains unclear as she's missing under the shadows of NISA, a controversial spy agency in the Horn of Africa nation.

For years, NISA has faced criticism throughout the reign of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who is a close ally of Fahad Yasin. The NISA director has among others, been accused of using NISA agents to intimidate the opposition.

The Union of Presidential Candidates in Somalia has often called for Yasin's resignation, accusing him of high-handedness. The spy agency is yet to directly or indirectly respond to the latest disappearance claims of its employee.

GAROWE ONLINE