Police have alleged in court that missing lawyer Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi could be part of an extortion network that investigators say uses arrests and criminal prosecutions to punish people who refuse to pay money.
However, the security officers appearing before the court maintained that Mr Abdi was not in their custody and that investigations were underway to establish his whereabouts.
At the same time, his family claims he had received threats from individuals linked to the National Intelligence Service, DCI, and Counter-Terrorism Bureau warning him to withdraw from a criminal case in which he was a witness, or face abduction and death.
The allegations emerged during a habeas corpus hearing at the High Court in Milimani, Nairobi, where security officers were questioned over the whereabouts of the advocate, whose family says was abducted by armed men along Muchai Road, off Ngong Road, on November 1, 2026.
Chief Inspector Vitalis Kibett of ATPU at the Milimani High Court on November 5, 2026, when he testified in the case of missing lawyer Abshir Abdi.
Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation
The extortion allegations, presented by an Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officer, have introduced a new dimension to the disappearance, with police disclosing that Mr Abdi had previously been investigated over alleged abductions, extortion and malicious prosecutions.
Chief Inspector Vitalis Kimutai, the Officer Commanding Station at the Counter-Terrorism Bureau in Nairobi, told Justice Alexander Muteti that investigators suspected Mr Abdi of operating an extortion network in which people who failed to meet financial demands were arrested and charged.
He alleged that the scheme involved officers from Pangani, Shauri Moyo, Airbase, Eastleigh North and California police stations, where the targeted individuals were allegedly taken after refusing to pay.
Justice Muteti sought clarification on whether the officer was alleging that people who declined to pay were arrested and presented in court on fabricated charges.
“Yes, that is exactly what I have stated,” Inspector Kimutai answered, adding that investigations into the alleged extortion and abduction activities were still ongoing.
Mr Kimutai told the court that Mr Abdi had been arrested on August 13 and October 24, 2025, and presented before the Kahawa Law Courts. Police had sought detention orders to allow further investigations, but the lawyer was released on free bond after prosecutors declined to pursue custodial orders.
In one instance, Mr Kimutai said, investigators sought 30 days to detain Mr Abdi, but a senior police officer called for the investigation file, after which the matter did not proceed.
The officer also presented correspondence exchanged between the ATPU and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations concerning the allegations against the missing advocate.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and DCI Director Mohamed Amin, whom Justice Muteti had summoned to explain the disappearance, did not personally attend the hearing.
They were represented by senior counsel Paul Nyamondi, who also presented three officers, including ATPU Commandant Nicholas Kimathi.
The court heard that Mr Abdi was not being held at ATPU cells or any police station in the country. Police said investigations had begun to establish his whereabouts and identify those responsible for his disappearance.
A DCI officer attached to Kilimani Police Station, Dennis Mwenda, told the court that he had reviewed CCTV footage showing the events surrounding the alleged abduction, and that the footage showed a man attempting to scale a wall before three armed individuals overpowered him, bundled him into a vehicle and drove away.
Mr Mwenda said he had visited the scene and arranged for lawyer Abdi's white Toyota Premio, registration number KDL 356C, to be taken to Kilimani Police Station for fingerprint examination and other forensic analysis.
Mr Abdi's family, through his brother, Zakaria Abshir, has asked the court to compel security agencies to produce the advocate, dead or alive.
In court papers, Zakaria said his brother was last seen at about 4am on November 1 when armed men dressed in tactical military clothing allegedly forced him to kneel before bundling him into a black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado TX.
He further said witnesses had informed investigators that two vehicles, a black Prado and a black double-cabin vehicle, had pursued Abdi's car before it veered into a ditch.
The family says Mr Abdi's mobile phones have remained switched off since the incident. A missing person report was lodged at Kilimani Police Station.
Zakaria has also raised concerns about a possible connection between the disappearance and a criminal case at Makadara Law Courts in which Mr Abdi is a witness.
He alleges that his brother had previously received threats from individuals linked to the National Intelligence Service, DCI, Counter-Terrorism Bureau and Kenya Defence Forces, warning him to withdraw from the case or face abduction and death.
The affidavit further states that Mr Abdi had reported the alleged threats to senior security officials but no action was taken.
The family wants the National Intelligence Service, Directorate of Military Intelligence, National Police Service, DCI and ATPU compelled to account for the advocate.
They are also seeking preservation of CCTV recordings, vehicle-tracking information and mobile network records, as well as independent investigations by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and Intelligence Service Complaints Board.
