BUSIA, Kenya – A family in Busia is demanding answers after a man was allegedly abducted from a public service bus by individuals believed to be officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), only minutes after departing for Nairobi.
Hassan Ibrahim says his brother, Ahmed Ibrahim, disappeared on Monday night after boarding a bus from Busia town at around 9:00 pm.
Ahmed was travelling to Nairobi but never arrived, and all communication with him abruptly stopped shortly after the journey began.
According to Hassan, the bus was intercepted about 30 minutes later at Korinda, near the local prison, where four people — two men and two women — identified themselves as DCI officers and ordered Ahmed to alight before driving off with him.
“The bus left at 9:00 pm. Thirty minutes later, it was stopped at Korinda, opposite the prison. They removed my brother and said they were DCI,” Hassan said.
When Ahmed failed to reach Nairobi, the family began tracing his movements, visiting police stations in Busia and Kakamega counties in search of answers.
However, Hassan says they were repeatedly referred from one office to another, with no official explanation provided about Ahmed’s whereabouts or whether he was under arrest.
The family believes the incident amounts to an enforced disappearance, saying no charges have been communicated and no detention location disclosed.
“They know what happened. Even the OCS knows. That is why we are saying this is an abduction,” Hassan said.
He further claimed that attempts to meet senior officers and regional commanders were either blocked or yielded no clarity.
When a meeting was eventually granted, Hassan said the family was treated with hostility.
“The way he spoke to us was not how citizens should be addressed,” he said, adding that they felt ignored and disrespected.
Hassan also alleged that DCI offices in Busia have remained closed since the incident, raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding Ahmed’s removal from the bus.
Conflicting information from different officers has deepened the family’s suspicion that authorities are aware of Ahmed’s location but are unwilling to disclose it.
“We are exhausted. We have been taken in circles and we are no closer to finding him,” Hassan said.
In an emotional appeal, Hassan called on President William Ruto, as well as the Defence and Interior Cabinet Secretaries, to intervene and ensure due process is followed.
“We want justice. Ahmed is not lost — they took him. If he is under arrest, let him be produced and the law followed,” he said.
As of publication, police and the DCI had not issued an official statement regarding Ahmed Ibrahim’s alleged abduction.
