Grieving refugee mother seeks justice after sons abducted from Hagardera camp

Ubah Mohamed Hassan, a mother at the Hagardera Refugee Camp, is a devastated woman. Her three sons were abducted from their home at the camp in September 2024, and she has yet to establish their whereabouts.

Her three sons, Abdirashid Bashir Mohamed, 27, Abass Bashir Mohamed, 25, and Yassin Bashir Mohamed, 24, were allegedly abducted from their home around 10 pm one evening while taking supper at a house that is a few meters away from her room.

"We heard commotion and people running. When I inquired, I was told my three sons were forcefully bundled into a Toyota Probox car by masked men driving two vehicles and were taken away," she recalled.

The following day, she reported the incident to the Hagardera Police Station under OB number 27/14/2024.

The mother of eight who fled from Somalia in 1998 says life has not been the same since the abduction of her three sons.

"I can’t imagine this happening in a country where I came to seek safety after fleeing from my hostile country. I have been enduring sleepless nights and crying in bed, remembering how I brought them as a mother, struggling and seeing them grow up," she said amid sobs.

Ubah narrated how she has been walking to the UNHCR office in Dadaab, the Department of Refugee Services and Hagardera Police Station seeking help but nothing has been forthcoming.

"I wish I were informed why they were taken, what crime they committed and where they are held. This would give me solace and end my sleepless nights," she said.

She wants the Kenyan government to establish the whereabouts of her three sons, release them, and if they are suspected of having committed any crime, they should be brought to court.

The refugee mother decried that her situation was worsened by some conmen who were exploiting her aggrieved situation.

"On numerous occasions, I received phone calls from anonymous persons telling me they knew the whereabouts of my sons and that they could help me. They have been demanding money. Out of desperation, I thought they were genuine, but later I found they were conmen," she said.

She revealed borrowing Sh1.7 million and sending it to the conmen who kept promising that they were making progress to secure the release of her sons.

According to Ubah, her three sons were very responsible men, one owning a shop at the Hagardera Refugee Camp market and the other two using a taxi to make a living and to also support her.

Ubah said she feels helpless with no leader to represent her to agitate for the release of her sons.

"Sometimes I listen to vernacular radio stations where elected leaders from north eastern region were agitating for the release of their abducted people. I cry, considering myself a helpless refugee mother with no representation in a country I came to seek safety," she lamented.

Other Topics To Read

• Northern Kenya
• Abductions
• Ubah Mohamed Hassan
• Hagardera Refugee Camp
• Yassin Bashir Mohamed
• Hagardera Police Station
• Grieving refugee mother seeks justice after sons abducted from Hagardera camp
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She appealed to President William Ruto to intervene and find out why her three sons were abducted and to have them released.

The grieving mother said her refugee status and lack of proper documentation curtailed her efforts to travel to Garissa town and Nairobi to make a follow-up on her missing sons.

As she awaits justice, another family in Garissa is seeking justice for their kin who was allegedly abducted at Bulla Mzuri in Garissa township three days ago. 35-year-old Mohamed Ahmed Noor was picked up by heavily armed, hooded security personnel using two vehicles.

According to his brother, Musa Ahmed Noor, Mohamed came to Garissa town from the countryside where he was herding animals to seek treatment.

Garissa-based human rights groups have condemned the surging cases of abduction and forced disappearances.

We don't know why the government is violating the “Constitution and abusing the rights of people," said Muktar Dahir Osman, a human rights activist in Garissa.

Fatuma Ahmed Bathi, another human rights activist, questioned the reason for having police stations, courts and other institutions if abductions are the order of the day.