Ex-Mogadishu Police Chief Saadaaq Joon Reclaims Parliamentary Seat in By-Election

GOOBJOOG NEWS|DHUSAMAREB: Former police chief of Banaadir and deputy NISA director, Saadaq Omar Hasan, popularly known as Saadaq Joon, has reclaimed his seat in Somalia’s House of the People.

This came after a by-election in Dhusamareb, the capital of Galmudug, to fill the seat vacated by businessman Mohamed Abdi Afweyne.

Saadaq Joon previously held the HOP-248 seat but stepped down when appointed deputy head of NISA—a position that saw him return to the intelligence and security fold. In his comeback bid, he secured the seat again in Sunday’s vote, following Afweyne’s resignation for personal reasons.

In April 2021, he notably resisted a parliamentary session convened to push through a controversial two-year term extension for the then-President Mohamed Farmaajo. He publicly intervened to halt the session, earning both political backlash and admiration. In retaliation, he was stripped of his rank and authority—only to have it restored later under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration.