Mogadishu, Somalia (Horn Life) – Shock and suspicion surround Somalia’s intelligence services after a senior NISA officer was found dead in Mogadishu late Thursday night.
The deceased, Abukar Muhiyaadin Ahmed, 31, was the director of intelligence for Mogadishu. His body was found riddled with bullets in the Siigaale neighborhood. According to insider reports, Ahmed was leading an active mission to capture an al-Shabaab suspect when the operation took a deadly turn. The target reportedly escaped before gunfire broke out.
Local residents discovered his body and contacted authorities, with eyewitnesses reporting that he appeared to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot. Authorities have not officially confirmed the circumstances surrounding his death.
Sources within NISA revealed that Ahmed was heading a sensitive investigation into the March 18 bombing attempt on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy — a major attack that took place along the route between the presidential palace and Aden Adde International Airport. He was due to brief the president on the investigation’s findings within 48 hours.
In the wake of the incident, NISA officials detained several agents who had accompanied Ahmed on the operation. Internal intelligence sources suggest foul play may have been involved, raising the possibility that Ahmed was targeted for his role in exposing sensitive information.
This killing has rekindled old fears about potential infiltration of Somalia’s intelligence service by al-Shabaab. The incident echoes the unresolved 2021 case of Ikran Tahlil, a young NISA officer who mysteriously vanished near NISA headquarters — a case that remains unsolved.
So far, Somalia’s federal government has remained tight-lipped, offering no public statement regarding the killing or its implications for national security.
