Senate forms probe committee on raid of Sen. Abdi Qebydiid’s home

The formation of the committee comes three months after the home of the Senator who is also chair of the joint parliamentary Constitutional Oversight Committee was raided by government forces. Photo: Goobjoog News|October 7, 2017

The Senate has formed an ad hoc committee to investigate circumstances on the raid by government forces of Senator Abdi Qebydiid last December months after the government went silent over the matter.

The five member committee headed by Senator Mohamed Amin will proceed with investigations from tomorrow. Government forces raided Qebdiid’s residence December 30 damaging property. The Senator was however not present in his house at the time of the raid whose motive has remained unclear to date.

Both President Mohamed Farmaajo and Prime Minister condemned the attack and promised to fully investigate. The raid had come barely two weeks after a similar raid at the home of former presidential candidate Abdirahman Abdishakur which left four of his security guards dead.

The other members of the committee are Ahmed Mohamud (deputy), Abdullahi Ismail, Abdirisak Ali and Abdullahi Qaruun.

Meanwhile the Senate have summoned ministers from the foreign affairs and interior docket in addition to the boundaries commission to address the Belet Hawo border dispute with Kenya amid complaints from residents. Residents in the border town have complained over the border wall being constructed by the Kenyan government noting it was encroaching on the Somali boundary.

Water minister Salim Ibrow tabled the Water Resources bill for first reading today at the Senate