A billboard of the most wanted terrorist in the world, Abdullahi Banati, in Garissa town has elicited mixed reactions from the residents.
The erection of the billboard caught many by surprise on Thursday last week when they found the beaming message at the main entry point of the town and North Eastern Region.
Communicated in two languages, Somali and Kiswahili, locals are asked to help in tracing Banati, a wanted terrorist with a whopping Sh1.3 billion bounty on his head.
“I am not surprised that we have this message in town. This shows that Garissa and North Eastern are linked to terrorism,” Mr Hassan Adan, a resident, said.
According to Mr Adan, placing an advert for a wanted criminal at a strategic point in town means a lot to the local community.
“We are close to Somalia, a country inhabited by the Al-Shabaab group, but having this message in our town is unfair,” he said.
Ms Halima Hathi claimed the advert was placed in bad faith. According to Ms Hathi, Garissa town is not a hideout for criminals.
“We have more than enough security agencies. What is it that has made it so difficult for them to sniff out Banati instead of erecting such billboards in the town?” she wondered.
A billboard in Garissa showing the wanted terrorist Abdullah Banati. Residents of Garissa have questioned the intention of having the billboard in town as security agencies disowned it.
Photo credit: Manase Otsialo | Nation Media Group
Mr John Mwasya, a bodaboda rider in Garissa town, argued that the billboard was a trick to net more criminals.
“Even if I had the information, I cannot volunteer it because I will be hunted down by the same security agencies, pressing to find out how I know the same man they have been looking for,” he argued.
He said despite a hefty reward, the same will not just be given out without the informer being subjected to security screening and thorough interrogation.
“I don’t have information about the wanted terrorists, but having known our security officers, anyone with any hint about the wanted man will have some questions to answer in a very inhuman way,” he said.
When asked about the billboard, North Eastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno absolved his team.
“The billboard does not speak about Garissa. The information in that billboard is known to the persons who have raised it. From where I sit, the security situation in Garissa is stable and our officers are doing all it takes to secure the region,” he said.
Mr Otieno added, “We may not be able to know the intention of whoever raised that billboard, but if the intention is to scare away people, I want to appeal to residents of this region that they should not fear because the security agencies are on the ground and the situation is stable."
Banati is linked to Jaysh Ayman, an Al-Shabaab unit responsible for the January 5, 2020, terrorist attack on Manda Bay Airfield in Lamu County.
According to the US, Banati is among the individuals involved in the operational planning of the attack on Manda Bay.
In the attack, the Al-Shabaab killed a US soldier and two US Department of Defense contractors.
Since 2020, Banati has remained elusive despite efforts to locate him by the Kenyan security agencies.
A security source in Garissa who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity said all indicators showed Banati was hiding in the expansive Boni forest.
“Banati operates between Kenya and Somalia through the Boni forest, which is part of Garissa. There is a likelihood of him interacting with headers, and that message will help us nab him. See the amount involved, we shall have him,” he said.
According to information from security agencies, Banati joined the terror group in 2012 and has masterminded several attacks in Kenya.
His name featured adversely in the 2019 Dusit D2 attack in Nairobi, where 21 people were killed. The police believe he transported fighters from Somalia who participated in the attack.
He is also believed to have played a role in the 2013 Westgate attack in which 67 people were killed, and in 2015, Banati is believed to have hosted the terrorists who carried out the killings of students at Garissa University.
In March, 2025, US issued a security alert warning its citizens against travelling to parts of North Eastern including Garissa, Wajir and Mandera and Tana River counties, citing increasing threats of terrorism, kidnapping, and violent attacks.
Despite the security warning, the US ambassador to Kenya, Marc Dillard, flew into Garissa on April 29, 2025, together with British High Commissioner Neil Wigan.
The two, through the European Union, pledged to collaborate with the national government and the counties in the north eastern region to strengthen security and address development challenges.
Even as the security agencies continued with their search for Banati, Garissa residents have accused the security officers of continued arbitrary abductions.
“We are still faced with security challenges caused by our security officers. They continue abducting our people despite President William Ruto’s assurance of stopping the same,” said Mr Ahmed Hassan, a resident.
Mr Mohamed Ahmed Nur, 35, is the latest victim of abduction in Garissa town, according to his family at Bula Mzuri.
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, people believed to be police officers knocked on Mr Muse Ahmed Nur's door at 1:40 am, asking the whereabouts of his brother, Mohamed Ahmed Nur.
Immediately, Muse pointed at a house where his brother was sleeping, and the officers with their faces covered did not wait for the main gate to be opened.
“They removed me from the house and even called by my name and asked me what I know about my brother. I told them he is a herder who came in a day before from herding livestock,” Muse said.
He said the officers jumped over the perimeter wall and broke into the house before they whisked Mohamed out.
“I saw him in his underwear, he was blindfolded and they put him into one of the vehicles and drove away, we don’t know where he was taken, I was left confused and shaken,” he added.
Two days later, Mohamed was produced in a Nairobi court and charged with terrorism charges as the family maintained that he was a herder who looked after family livestock.
On May 10, 2025, Abdirahman Omar Sheikh alias Raheye was abducted along the Garissa-Mwingi highway by masked, heavily armed individuals believed to be plainclothes police officers.
A police report indicated Mr Sheikh and his family were travelling to Nairobi when the incident happened.
In Hagadera refugee camp, Ms Ubah Mohamed Hassan is waiting for her three sons' return after they were picked up in September last year by people believed to be police officers.
The three, Abdirashid Bashir Mohamed, 27, Abass Bashir Mohamed, 25, and Yasin Bashir Mohamed, 23, were allegedly picked from their home at 10pm and bundled into a Toyota Probox.
“We just heard commotion and people running, and when I inquired, I was told my three sons had been taken away. I have since reported to the police, but nothing has been forthcoming,” she said.
