• Elgiva who is also known as Seif Deen Mohamed aka Japhar aka Japhel Okuku aka Abu Muadh is missing after he was set free from Kamiti Maximum Prisons.
• A senior police officer who talked on condition of anonymity said they suspect Elgiva had not reformed and could be headed back to his terror cell which is active in the country.
Image: COURTESY
Police say they are looking for an ex-terror convict Elgiva Bwire Oliacha who has been missing since October 28 when he was released from jail.
Elgiva who is also known as Seif Deen Mohamed aka Japhar aka Japhel Okuku aka Abu Muadh is missing after he was set free from Kamiti Maximum Prisons.
This was after he served his 10-year sentence that had been commuted from a life sentence.
A senior police officer who talked on condition of anonymity said they suspect Elgiva had not reformed and could be headed back to his terror cell which is active in the country.
“Even when he was in jail he was under watch because he used to radicalize inmates. We suspect he is now armed and ready for retaliation and war,” said an officer aware of the issue.
The officer claimed they had received reports Elgiva promised his former friends who are serving various charges on terrorism at Kamiti Maximum Prison that he will stage an attack to free them immediately after being released.
Police say they suspect he rejoined a terror cell with which he was in contact while at Kamiti Prison.
The police are now appealing to members of the public, relatives and acquaintances to be on the lookout and immediately report to the nearest police station in case they spot him.
Further, the police are also urging Public Service Vehicles operators and bodaboda riders to be on high alert and report to the law enforcement agencies in case they encounter the former convict.
His release led to an operation in the city that saw his mother, brother and their driver abducted and later set free.
According to reports, Elgiva was picked from Kamiti Maximum Prison by his mother, brother, and nephew.
Officials said Elgiva alighted in the city centre before he was picked up by unknown people.
After learning her son was missing or could not be located, Jacinta Bwire is said to have headed to former Westlands MP Fred Gumo’s home to inform him.
She was kidnapped by unknown people as she drove home.
She was released after three nights at the hands of her captors.
Soon after getting information on Elgiva's disappearance his lawyer Prof Hassan Nadwa, headed to the Central police station to file a missing persons report, before heading to Jamia mosque for the evening prayers.
However, he also went missing and was last spotted at 7 pm on that day. He is yet to be found.
Supreme Council of Muslims chairman Hassan Ole Nado said Tuesday they are yet to hear from Prof Nadwa.
“We are still hopeful that whoever is holding him will release him. His family and friends need him,” he said.
Elgiva hails from Budalangi area in Busia County where his family has settled.
He is also a resident of Pumwani, Majengo and Kayole neighbourhoods in Nairobi County.
Previously, Elgiva travelled to Somalia in 2010 to join al-Shabaab and was subsequently dispatched to the country in August 2011 to carry out terrorist attacks.
He was the head of a local cell known as the Al-Ghuraba whose activities was mainly to carry out attacks in Nairobi targeting members of the public in social joints and passengers picking points as well as security personnel.
According to reports, his mission was also to recruit unsuspecting Kenyan youth into his terrorist activities as well as acquire more firearms for his terrorism enterprise.
Elgiva was behind the grenade attacks at Kwa Mwaura Bar on October 17, 2011, where one person lost his life and 28 others were injured.
He was also behind the grenade attack at OTC bus station on October 24, 2011, where two people were left with serious injuries.
He was arrested by Kenya security officers in Kayole after planning to carry out an attack targeting Mashujaa Day celebrations at Nyayo National Stadium in October 2011.
At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of six AK-47 firearms and 13 grenades as well as hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Elgiva pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, being a member of al-Shabaab, being illegally in possession of firearms and causing grievous bodily harm.
Elgiva was found guilty by the courts and was handed a life sentence which was subsequently reduced to 10 years upon appeal.
It is understood that Elgiva while serving his prison term maintained close contacts with radicalization cells both in Kenya and Somalia and was actively seeking to recruit unsuspecting Kenyan youth in violent extremism and other terror-related activities.
Edited by D Tarus