Hafsa was strangled, fed sawdust — court told

A man and a woman accused of kidnapping a 23-year-old year businesswoman and holding her in an empty water tank have been charged with abduction and torture.

Hafsa Abdi Ahmed and Jackson Njogu Wanjiru were arraigned on Friday before Makadara chief magistrate Heston Nyagah.

A third suspect, Syrus  Ndungu Njogu, who had been in police custody, was freed for lack of evidence.

In the first count, the court heard that between June 15 and June 20 at Kayole Junction with others, not before the court, they abducted Hafsa Mohamed Lukman and confined her in the Matopeni area of Kayole.

The two suspects pleaded not guilty to all counts.

In the second count, the two are accused of conspiring to commit a felony.

The court heard that between April 2021 to June, 15 at Kayole junction jointly with others not before the court they conspired to abduct  Hafsa and stole Sh615,000 from her various KCB bank accounts. 

They are accused of disabling her in order to commit a felony.

“On June, 15, at Kayole Junction jointly with others not before the court and by means calculated to choke, suffocate, strangle and feed Hafsa sawdust, the dust, covered her mouth with a tape and tied her hands with manila rope and blindfolded her to render her incapable of resistance,” read the court clerk.

She was rescued a week later and gave interviews.

In the fourth count, the two are accused of stealing a Sh170,000 iPhone, jewelry worth Sh160,000, Sh5,000 from an M-Pesa account, and Sh615,000 from KCB accounts.  

In the fifth count, they are accused of assaulting Hafsa on June 15, jointly with others not before the court.

Investigator Corporal Godwins Ogola of DCI Buruburu asked the court to detain the two and deny them bond. He said they did not have a fixed place of abode and were likely to abscond if released.

Danstan Omari, counsel representing the first accused, Hafsa, said the state has not presented compelling reasons for denial of bond.

He said that his client has been enrolled at a Kenyan university and being of Somalian origin there’s usually a problem getting IDs.

Omari said his client has a fixed place of abode as her family lived in California estate before moving to South C and his father is a civil servant in Wajir county.

But the state was objected and said that the accused is an adult and ought to have a place of abode and not her parents' house.

Ogola said the two might flee the country as they do not have any identification documents though they have been moving in and out of the country allegedly doing a watermelon business.

“I have reason to believe the suspects have connections with some known organised criminal gangs. This is founded in the manner in which the two accused persons executed their plan by making everyone believe that the first accused person [Hafsa] was also a victim to divert attention,” he said.

Omari further urged the court to grant his client a cash bail and alternative bond term and not to impose conditions that cannot be met.

Nyaga said he would rule on July 7.