Lawyer Abshir's brother narrates chilling abduction ordeal by armed men
Crime and Justice
By
Nancy Gitonga
| Nov 12, 2026
Zachariah Abdi Abshir takes the witness stand during the hearing of the abduction of his brother, lawyer Abshir Abdi, before Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on November 11, 2026. [ David Gichuru, Standard]
The brother of missing Nairobi lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi has narrated how armed men in tactical uniforms allegedly pursued his vehicle along Muchai Road before abducting him in the early hours of November 1.
Testifying before the High Court in Milimani, Zechariah Abdi told Justice Alexander Muteti that witnesses described a chase involving a black Toyota Prado TX and a black double-cabin vehicle.
Led in his evidence by former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) president Eric Theuri, he said witnesses told him the Prado had been parked by the roadside for about two hours before pursuing Abdi’s white Toyota Premio, registration KDL 356C, moments after it left Zeyhaj Lounge.
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“The black Toyota TX Prado had been parked two hours prior, sitting idle by the roadside,” he told the court.
Abdi said the pursuit ended when the Premio veered into a drainage ditch near the Association of Kenya Insurers premises as its occupants attempted to escape.
“Three occupants left the vehicle,” he said, adding that the pursuers followed them.
According to the witnesses, one occupant who he identified as his brother, ran towards a nearby gate and attempted to scale it, while the other two fled down the street.
He told the court the pursuers were armed with rifles slung over their shoulders and wore grey tactical uniforms, hoods and balaclavas covering over their faces and heads.
“One of the occupants, who is my brother, in his attempt to flee, he abandoned one shoe,” he said.
The witness said he positively identified the shoe as belonging to his brother.
“I positively identified it to be the shoe he was wearing,” he told the court.
Abdi also presented CCTV footage obtained from two nearby premises, including an organisation identified in court as Echo Foundation Network.
Law Society of Kenya members led by the chairman Eric Kivuva and vice chair Teresia Wavinya Nicholas demand the release of abducted lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on November 11, 2026. [David Gichuru, Standard]
He said he obtained the recordings on November 2 with the assistance of investigating officers, after visiting the scene and speaking to witnesses.
The footage played in court covered three minutes, between 4.40am and 4.43am.
He said the recordings helped him match eyewitness accounts with the vehicles’ movements.
“From the footage we have here, I was able to put together the witness testimonies that I had the previous night,” he said.
He identified Abdi’s vehicle being pursued by a black Toyota Prado, while another black double-cabin vehicle also appeared in the recordings.
As he played the CCTV footage in court,Abdi further described the armed men as wearing tactical uniforms and carrying long rifles as they chased his brother towards the gate.
He told the court that some of the armed men's faces were identifiable in the CCTV footage.
The men allegedly caught up with Abshir at the gate, blindfolded him using a white piece of cloth and bundled him into the black Toyota Prado before driving away.
The witness said one recording came from a 24-hour CCTV system, while the other was from motion-sensor cameras.
He said the material was supplied in raw format and he converted it into MP4 for playback.
Abdi said he last spoke to his brother on October 31at noon, when the lawyer told him he planned to attend a wedding in Kilimani.
The family reported him missing after his phones went off.
His vehicle was later found abandoned in a ditch along Muchai Road and identified by the family at Kilimani Police Station.
The court also heard about an earlier similar abduction encounter involving his brother Abshir and people the family believes were security officers.
Abdi presented photographs relating to his brother’s arrest outside their home in October 2025, including a Nissan vehicle, registration KAU 832V.
He said the two men had presented themselves as estate management officials seeking an audience with his brother, but family later learnt they were National Intelligence Service officers.
He told the court that his brother was grabbed and handcuffed by the two men before one of them forcefully gained entry into their sitting room and took away Abshir’s laptop.
He further testified that their younger sister attempted to record the faces of the two men using her mobile phone but became frightened after they allegedly issued threatening remarks.
Despite her fear, she managed to capture two video clips lasting two minutes and one second, which Abdi said he had retained and wanted to presented to the court as evidence.
However, Paul Nyamodi, the lawyer representing the security agencies opposed the playing of the two additional video clips allegedly showing two NIS officers during the October 2025 incident, arguing that the footage had not been supplied to the State.
Consequently, Justice Alexander Muteti stood down the witness and directed Abdi-Abshon and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to supply the State with copies of the two video clips to allow the security agencies to examine them.
The judge adjourned the hearing to Thursday.