Somalia: AK-47 rifle used in killing Hodan DC "disappears"

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The rifle used in executing the brutal murder of Hodan District Commissioner Abdikahim Dhegajun cannot be traced, a tribunal has been told, in what could sabotage investigations into the death of the officer, who was among the most dependable security details.

The government had set a tribunal investigating the gruesome death, which caused outrage across Somalia, questioning the ability of the country in handling delicate security matters, amid the ongoing Electoral impasse in Somalia.

Gen Abdullahi Kamey, the Attorney General of Somalia's Armed Forces, on Saturday testified before the tribunal, where he gave blow-by-blow information on what could help or even hinder investigations to the death of the former security official.

According to him, while citing a forensic report said the AK-47 guns used in a shooting in Mogadishu that killed Hodon DC Abdikahim Dhegajun Jan 2021 had been replaced to prevent police officers behind the murder from prosecution.

This, he noted, will make it difficult in arresting the officer (s) behind the gruesome murder, arguing that they have failed to locate the gun. It's not clear where the gun disappeared to and, or who plotted the disappearance of the rifle.

Initially, the government had conceded that the killers of the former officer were members of the security forces. However, the motive of the murder would not be immediately established, but such cases are common in the war-torn nation.

Somalia's security forces have faced a host of difficulties for many years now since the ouster of Siad Barre, the former military ruler. Besides the Al-Shabaab threat, government officials often target one another over internal rivalry.

GAROWE ONLINE