Missing Nairobi advocate Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi walked into the Milimani High Court on Friday, November 13, 2026, less than 24 hours after he and a fellow abductee were located in Marsabit County following an 11-day disappearance.
Dressed in a navy blue suit, red tie, and a blue face mask, Abdi took a seat in the public gallery at 10:22am, flanked closely by colleagues, as his case came before Justice Alexander Muteti.
Abdi and Maalim ready to testify
Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Eric Theuri, representing Abdi, informed the court that both his client and Ayub Maalim, identified as Abdi’s friend and fellow captive, were present and willing to give testimony.
“My Lord, the subject Abshir is now in court and his colleague Ayub Maalim is also before the court. We desire that we also take his testimony because he is a material witness,” Theuri told the judge.
Theuri said the two men had been released by their captors in Marsabit County between 5am and 6am on Thursday and were separately discovered by members of the public. They flew to Nairobi and arrived in the city at approximately 6:30am on Friday.
Theuri also told the court that Abdi had sustained minor injuries and sought treatment at Nairobi Hospital after landing. The courtroom was packed with advocates, journalists and members of the public throughout the proceedings.
Police confirm reappearance
The National Police Service confirmed both men’s reappearance in a press statement issued on Thursday, November 12.
Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said Abdi and Maalim were found by members of the public at Rawana and Uran Shopping Centres respectively in Marsabit County. Officers from Sololo Police Station subsequently escorted them to the station, where their statements were recorded.
The service pledged “a thorough, impartial and expeditious evidence-led investigation” and called on anyone with relevant information to come forward.
Abdi, a practising advocate at Abshir & Njagi Advocates in the Kilimani area of Nairobi, was allegedly abducted on November 1 in the early hours along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, by armed men travelling in a Toyota Prado TX and a double-cab vehicle.
How lawyer Abshir was captured
CCTV footage captured the moment armed individuals pursued and bundled him into one of the vehicles. His white Toyota Premio was found abandoned at the scene and later towed to Kilimani Police Station.
His family subsequently filed an urgent application before the High Court seeking a habeas corpus order compelling security agencies to produce him. On November 4, the court directed top security officials to present him, alive or dead, by 2:30pm.
At a hearing on November 5, police alleged Abdi may have links to an extortion network, claims his family rejected, insisting officers were attempting to criminalise him rather than account for his whereabouts.
No charges against Abdi have been made public, and those allegations have not been tested in court.
LSK President Charles Kanjama told the court that 22 cases of enforced disappearance had been reported in Kenya in 2026 alone, as lawyers marched in Nairobi on November 6 demanding Abdi’s release.
