This archive report was first published on 29 August 2021.
Abduba Boru Waqo, a prominent Isiolo businessman, was abducted on Christmas Day and held captive for eight months before being released in Nairobi on August 26, 2021.
According to Waqo, he was accosted by a group of men while leaving his butchery in Isiolo town. They bundled him into a waiting Land Cruiser vehicle, handcuffed and blindfolded him, and sped off towards Nairobi.
Waqo, popularly known as Abuya, had spent the day with two of his sons and a younger brother. He told Nation.Africa that he was planning to cross the road and pick a motorbike when the vehicle slowed down and two heavily built men grabbed him and bundled him in the vehicle.
During his captivity, Waqo was detained in a small, dark room with no windows. He slept on a mattress on the floor and was offered a cup of tea and half a plate of rice and ugali on his first day. He was questioned about the perennial clashes in Isiolo and Marsabit and was beaten up every time he declined to answer their questions.
Waqo's family and friends followed up with the police for 244 days, hoping to find their kin. They even visited the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters on Kiambu Road. Waqo's distraught expectant wife, Bahati Janna, had premature delivery two days after his disappearance, and their baby girl is now eight months old.
Waqo was released in a bushy area within Maili Nane and returned home on Thursday morning. His family and friends quickly assembled at his compound and organised a party. However, Waqo collapsed at his home on Thursday evening and was treated for high blood pressure.
Isiolo County Police Commander Joseph Kigen said the officers who visited Waqo's home did not get full details over his disappearance as he 'was not in the right mental state'. Waqo has since sought police protection, fearing for his life and claiming that some of his business rivals had threatened to 'eliminate' him.
