Military Court Sentences Ex-Police Officer to Death over Killing of Colleague

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Military Court has sentenced a former police officer to death by firing squad for the killing of a colleague during a dispute over a card game in Mogadishu.

The court convicted Nuur Ibrahim Sahal, a former officer with the police tax protection unit, of the intentional killing of Libaan Nuux Sooc, another former member of the unit.

According to the chairman of the First Instance Military Court, Col. Hassan Ali Nur Shuute, the incident occurred on July 12, 2026, in Mogadishu’s Hamar Jajab district.

The court heard that the dispute began when Sahal was prevented from joining a card game being played by fellow officers because he was considered unfamiliar with the game.

Sahal then reportedly obtained an AK-47 and confronted the group, with the dispute escalating into insults and gunfire.

Sooc was shot and killed during the confrontation.

The Office of the Military Prosecutor subsequently investigated the case and requested that it be brought before the military court. The request was approved on Oct. 1.

After allowing both sides time to present their arguments, the court on Saturday handed Sahal a death sentence by firing squad as qisaas, or retribution for the killing.

The ruling was announced by Col. Shuute, according to the Somali military court.

The case highlights the lethal consequences of disputes involving armed personnel and firearms, while the court’s decision remains subject to the procedures governing military justice and death sentences in Somalia.