The family and relatives of Senior Chief Ahmed Ali Abdullahi, together with those of his kin Noor Gaduf, are demanding justice over what they describe as a horrific and barbaric double killing that occurred in July 2025 in the Khorof Harar area of Wajir.
Their call for action comes as Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen makes a visit to the county for his Jukwaa La Usalama meeting, during which he is expected to engage local leaders and residents on matters of security and governance.
The slain Chief, who had repeatedly lodged reports of death threats both at Khorof Harar Police Station and with his superiors, met his end in a manner that his family insists was neither accidental nor random but a carefully orchestrated assault by men known within the community.
On the night of July 8, 2025, at approximately 12:20 a.m., heavily armed assailants stormed his compound under the glare of a bright full moon, their identities unmistakable to those who witnessed the attack.
According to the principal witness, Issa Abdi, the ordeal began when gunfire erupted near the house of Noor Gaduf. Moments later, four armed men entered the Chief’s compound.
From his position of hiding under a neem tree, Issa observed with chilling clarity as the gang, one of them masked, the others familiar in both voice and movement, spread out to search the area.
When they found nothing in Issa’s hut, one of the attackers, identified as Yussuf Dabar, mocked him as a “lucky bastard.”
The men then regrouped at the Chief’s dwelling, pounding on the fortified metal doors for several minutes before planting an explosive device that tore the entrance apart.
Shrapnel from the blast wounded Issa as he remained concealed. The attackers dragged the Chief from his home, his legs crushed in the process, leaving him unable to resist.
In his final agonised moments, he could barely whisper before Osman Dabar riddled him with more than fifteen bullets and gouged out his eyes in an act of extraordinary cruelty.
Noor Gaduf met a similarly brutal fate.
His newlywed wife was held down by several men as her husband pleaded for his life. His body was sprayed with over ten bullets, his cries reverberating through the village before silence fell.
The killings are believed to be the culmination of longstanding hostilities between the Chief and the powerful Dabar family, whose history is entangled with local disputes and alleged militant links. At the heart of the feud was the widow Nuria Dubow, once married to Ibrahim Dabar but later remarried to Chief Ahmed, a decision that provoked deep resentment within the clan. Osman Dabar, Ibrahim’s brother, had sought to marry Nuria himself, only to be spurned, and his hostility grew when she instead chose the Chief. Parallel disputes involving Osman’s stormy marriage to another widow, Fatuma Jimale Baa, drew in Noor Gaduf, whom Osman accused of interfering in his domestic affairs.
Witnesses recount that Osman physically assaulted Noor months earlier, prompting multiple court cases where both Noor and Issa Abdi featured as complainants. These tensions were widely viewed as precursors to the tragic events that unfolded in July.
The Dabar family’s notoriety extends beyond local quarrels. Several of its members have been linked over the years to the outlawed Al-Shabaab network.
Ahmed Dabar, a fugitive with a bounty on his head, has long been accused of orchestrating attacks and improvised explosive device operations in northern Kenya, while Adan Dabar was reportedly neutralised by security agencies over similar affiliations.
Even Ibrahim Dabar, Nuria’s late husband, carried the shadow of alleged militancy, a history that his subsequent enrolment as a Kenya Police Reservist could not erase.
Osman himself has been repeatedly found in possession of livestock allegedly extorted from pastoralists by militants.
In the week preceding the killings, the village of Qarsa had witnessed unusual gatherings, with Osman’s sister Adana hosting groups of young men in what appeared to be covert planning sessions before abruptly departing once the murders had been carried out.
A chilling revelation emerged later from Nuria’s teenage son, who recalled overhearing Osman and several accomplices openly plotting to kill the Chief two days before the attack, an account that, tragically, was dismissed at the time.
Progress on the investigation has been slow, with claims that the lead officer, Mr. Roble, enjoys close ties with the Dabar family. Witnesses such as Issa Abdi live in constant fear, aware that their testimony places them in direct danger.
Allegations have also surfaced that local political leaders, among them Tarbaj MP Hussein Abdi Bare, have attempted to distort the narrative by attributing the killings to militants, a claim residents dismiss as an attempt to deflect attention from the true perpetrators.
The atmosphere in Qarsa remains tense, with villagers openly declaring that they know who committed the crimes.
Gunmen have been seen patrolling at night, firing sporadically to intimidate the community and silence potential witnesses.
Locals warn that if the state continues to falter in delivering justice, the temptation to take matters into their own hands may soon become irresistible.
“Hi Nyakundi. I am writing to you because the families of Senior Chief Ahmed Ali Abdullahi and his relative Noor Gaduf feel abandoned, and they want their story to be told. What happened in Khorof Harar in July 2025 was not a random attack but a cold, calculated execution that has left the entire community in fear. The Chief had already reported death threats at Khorof Harar Police Station and to his seniors but no action was taken. On the night of July 8, armed men stormed his compound under the full moon, identities clear to all who saw them. They blew open his door with explosives, dragged him out with broken legs, and slaughtered him in a way too cruel to describe. His eyes were gouged out, and his body riddled with bullets. Noor suffered the same fate as his newlywed wife was held down, forced to watch helplessly. All the trails lead to the notorious Dabar family, who have a long history of feuds and unresolved hostilities. Osman Dabar had tried to marry Nuria Dubow, the widow who later became the Chief’s wife, but after she refused, his anger never cooled. Add to that his stormy marriage with another widow and accusations against Noor Gaduf, and the situation turned toxic. Witnesses confirm Osman had assaulted Noor months earlier, cases were in court, and tensions had been building for a long time. The Dabar name is also whispered in the same breath as Al-Shabaab. Ahmed Dabar, a wanted man with a bounty, has operated freely in the region. Other relatives, like Adan and Ibrahim, were tied to militancy. Osman himself has often been found with livestock believed to have been taken by militants. Just a week before the killings, Osman’s sister Adana was seen holding late-night meetings with groups of young men who vanished as soon as the murders happened. The evidence is all there but the investigation is going nowhere. The lead officer, Mr. Roble, is said to be too close to the Dabars, and witnesses like Issa Abdi are living in terror. Politicians such as Tarbaj MP Hussein Abdi Bare are trying to twist the story, claiming militants were responsible, even though residents know exactly who did it. In Qarsa village, the killers walk openly at night, firing shots in the air to scare people into silence. People are saying openly that if the state cannot protect them and deliver justice, they will take matters into their own hands. This is how blood feuds are born and once that path is taken, the violence never ends. We need this story told before the silence becomes permanent.”
