A senior officer in Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) was found dead Thursday night under mysterious circumstances in Mogadishu, deepening fears of internal sabotage and infiltration within the country’s top intelligence institution.
Abukar Muhiyaadin Ahmed, 31, head of NISA’s intelligence directorate for Mogadishu, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in the Siigaale neighborhood after reportedly leading a unit on a covert operation targeting a suspected al-Shabab operative. The suspect reportedly escaped, and gunfire ensued shortly thereafter.
Local residents found Ahmed’s body and alerted authorities. Witnesses say he appeared to have been shot multiple times and bled to death at the scene. While the federal government has yet to release a formal statement, intelligence sources say Ahmed was preparing to brief President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday regarding the March 18 roadside bombing targeting the presidential convoy.
In the wake of his death, several NISA officers who accompanied Ahmed during the mission have been detained for questioning. Internal sources suggest Ahmed may have been deliberately silenced due to sensitive intelligence he had uncovered.
The case has revived long-standing concerns about al-Shabab infiltration within NISA. In 2021, the mysterious disappearance of NISA officer Ikran Tahlil sparked nationwide uproar — a case that remains unresolved to this day.
Ahmed’s killing now casts a dark shadow over Somalia’s intelligence apparatus and raises fresh alarms about internal threats undermining the country’s fragile security progress.
