In a habeas corpus application filed at the Milimani High Court, the family wants the police directed to produce the missing advocate before the Criminal Duty Court within 24 hours, together with any warrant or legal order authorising his detention.
The application is supported by an affidavit sworn by the lawyer’s brother, Zakaria Abshir, who claims that Abdi was abducted by armed individuals believed to be security officers along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, in Nairobi.
According to the court documents, Abdi, an advocate practising at Abshir & Njagi Advocates in Kilimani, was last heard from on October 31, when he informed his brother that he would be attending a friend’s wedding in Kilimani
His mobile phones reportedly went off the following morning, raising concerns about his whereabouts.
On November 1, the family received a call from a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer stationed at Kilimani Police Station, informing them that Abdi’s vehicle, registration number KDL 356C, had been found abandoned along Muchai Road, near the Association of Kenya Insurers offices.
The vehicle reportedly had visible scratches and dents.
The affidavit cites accounts from members of the public who allegedly witnessed a white vehicle being pursued by two vehicles, a black Toyota Prado TX and a black double-cab pickup.
According to the witness accounts cited in the application, the occupants of the pursuing vehicles were dressed in tactical combat uniforms and bulletproof vests and were openly carrying firearms.
The armed individuals allegedly intercepted the white vehicle before forcibly removing its occupant and dragging him into a Land Cruiser.
The family believes the incident was a carefully coordinated abduction and has since reported Abdi missing at Kilimani Police Station under OB No. 55/1/11/2026.
In the application, Zakaria further links his brother’s disappearance to an ongoing criminal case at the Makadara Law Courts, in which Abdi is listed as a witness.
The case, MCCR/E2910/2025, Republic versus Ahmed Ali Mohamed, is alleged to have previously attracted threats against the lawyer and the complainant.
According to the affidavit, officers allegedly drawn from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), DCI, Counter Terrorism Bureau and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) had threatened the two with abduction and death unless they withdrew the criminal matter.
The family also claims that Abdi had previously been arrested on October 9, 2025, by officers allegedly attached to the Counter Terrorism Bureau, NIS and Directorate of Military Intelligence.
He was reportedly released unconditionally after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) declined to approve an application for custodial orders.
The affidavit indicates that a formal complaint concerning the alleged threats and previous arrest was lodged with oversight agencies on October 25, 2025.
The family now wants the High Court to issue conservatory orders restraining the respondents from arresting, detaining or continuing to detain Abdi without the court’s permission.
They are also seeking an order for his unconditional release once he is presented before the court.
Additionally, the applicants want security agencies compelled to preserve and produce CCTV footage, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data, toll records, mobile network information, border movement records and motor vehicle tracking data covering Muchai Road and its surroundings from October 31, 2026.
The application further seeks orders directing the second and third interested parties to conduct an independent investigation into the disappearance and submit their findings to the court within 14 days.
The allegations against the security agencies remain claims contained in the court application and have not been independently established.
