How Jubaland security minister Abdirashid escaped from detention in Mogadishu

KISMAYO- Fugitive Jubaland security minister Abdirashid Hassan alias Janan bribed security officers before escaping from detention, multiple sources have told Garowe Online.

Janan, a key ally of Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe, had been in detention since August last year over "serious crimes", officials said.

He was instrumental in Mr. Madobe's victory in August 2019, leading to unending wrangles with Mogadishu administration.

Abdirashid travelled by boat 

Jubaland TV said "Abdirashid Hassan has arrived in Kismayo on boat", although it did not give further details over the new development.

Zakia Hussen, the Deputy Police Commander, on Tuesday said that "the fugitive escaped from prison but we are pursuing him".

Security was beefed up at Aden Adde International Airport and airstrips within Gedo region to monitor his movements, police said.

Janan, sources told Garowe Online, had escaped from a house located near NISA headquarters through a window before vanishing to unknown location.

He had been detained at the facility for five days and was due to be interrogated by security agents over the alleged criminalities, the source added.

Negotiations with President Farmajo

After his arrest, Abdirashid was taken to jail, a move that caused uproar within Jubaland administration and his clan back in Gedo region.

His clansmen, sources said, negotiated with President Mohamed Farmajo, who is also a fellow clansman, to have him released from jail.

But after intensive negotiations, President Farmajo is said to have softened the penalty by allowing authorities to put him under house detention, a source said.

At Gedo region, Abdirashid is quite popular and operates with clan militias, who control a large jurisdiction thus his influence.

How he escaped from detention

At Kismayo, Jubaland TV reported, Janan arrived  some minutes to midday by boat, before being whisked to unknown place.

FGS has been pursuing him mainly on roads and airports, with police under pressure to have him convicted of alleged atrocities committed in Gedo.

But fresh details indicate that Abdirashid paid some of soldiers guarding him in detention before helping him to sneak out of Mogadishu.

A source told Garowe Online that "he paid soldiers who guided him through. Some of them are accompanied him to Kismayo".

Police are yet to issue a statement following the latest development, which could trigger resistance from human rights groups.

The fact that he's still with a section of the soldiers who aided his escape, both FGS and Jubaland administration could be headed for another showdown, analysts say.

Jubaland protests over his detention

Upon his escape from detention, authorities in Jubaland demanded to know his whereabouts, alleging sinister motives to assassinate him.

Abdirashid is at the epicenter of Farmajo's standoff with Madobe, a reason partly that led to his arrest and subsequent incarceration in August.

Police detained him at Aden Adde International Airport when he was about to fly to Addis Ababa for a function, officials said.

Human rights group welcomed his detention, calling for expeditious conviction over the alleged murder and torture in Gedo region.

It's not clear why the federal government has delayed his arraignment in court, a move that has precipitated tensions between Jubaland and Mogadishu.

Abdirashid's influence in Gedo region

So controversial has been his detention that opposition leaders have often accused Farmajo of interfering with state governments.

Even after his arrest, Madobe never made changes within the security sector, an indication that he still has confidence in him.

He is accused of playing a key role in blocking an Ethiopian plane from landing at Kismayo Airport days to Jubaland polls last year.

Focus now will be at the federal government and Jubaland authorities, with the two expected to fallout yet again over his predicaments.

With his solid influence in Gedo region, his freedom could cause headache to federal government, which has been targeting the region as a strategy to tame Madobe.

During his time in detention, non-AMISOM Ethiopian troops seized sections of the region, leading to a political quagmire between FGS and Kismayo authorities.

GAROWE ONLINE