Militants of Al-Shabaab train with weapons on a street in the outskirts of Mogadishu. There are fears that Al-Shabaab could be using the porous border to sneak into Kenya. Photo/FILE
By KITAVI MUTUA kitavimutua@gmail.com
Posted Tuesday, February 14 2012 at 22:30
Posted Tuesday, February 14 2012 at 22:30
A police station commander and an assistant chief are among seven people feared to have been abducted by bandits on the border of Kitui and Tana River counties.
The seven were on a mission to rescue a Standard Three boy abducted by Somali herders two years ago. The boy had been seen herding cattle in Tana River.
According to senior officers, the OCS hired three motorcycles to ferry him, another police officer, the area chief, a teacher and the boy’s parents to negotiate the boy’s release with the abductors.
The group left Endau police station in Mutito District on Sunday morning for an uninhabited and unpatrolled area between the two counties. They have since not been seen nor have they contacted anyone.
Due to a recent wave of bandit attacks in the region, their disappearance has sparked fears that they might have been abducted.
Eastern provincial police boss Marcus Ochola on Tuesday said a team led by Mutomo police boss Thomas Ngeiwa had been assembled to comb the area.
“We lost contact with them on Sunday but we are searching,” Mr Ochola said.
“We are not taking any chances, their motorbikes might have broken down in the bush, which has no mobile network coverage. The police rescue team’s vehicle has the necessary equipment to trace them,” Mr Ochola said.
A long-standing pastoral conflict pitting Kamba and Somali herdsmen has degenerated into banditry attacks.
Revenge mission
Last month, five people were killed at Kaningo village in Tseikuru District by Somali herdsmen who were suspected to have been on a revenge mission to recover livestock stolen late last year.
Endau police station is in charge of the volatile North Eastern Province border with Ukambani region.
There are also fears that Al-Shabaab could be using the porous border to sneak into Kenya.
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