The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the arraignment of a human trafficker responsible for the trafficking of Bilal Ali Noor, an 18-year-old boy.Noor disappeared four years ago, under unclear circumstances.
The kid was 14 years old and attending Mandera DEB Primary School when he went missing.According to the DCI, after the victim disappeared in 2021, his parents urgently searched for him and discovered that he was being held captive in Libya.
The family was subsequently compelled to pay a Ksh2.4 million ransom to two men in Somalia in order to release their son, but despite their efforts, he remained in custody.
“Upon his disappearance, his parents launched a desperate search for their son,” DCI said. “Their worst fears were confirmed when they discovered that Ali Noor was being held captive in Libya.
In a bid to secure his release, the family paid a ransom of Ksh2.35 million to two individuals.” “Despite their immense sacrifice, the parents’ efforts proved futile, as their son remained in captivity,” it added. Four years later, on March 12, 2025, the victim contacted his mother from a hospital in Tunisia.
Noor revealed that he had been shot in both legs. The DCI didn’t say where or why he was shot. After contacting his relatives, it was discovered that the victim, together with other prisoners, including two Kenyans from Mandera, fled from Libya to Tunisia in November 2023.
“It was revealed that the victim had been trafficked to Libya before escaping in November 2023,” DCI said.
“He fled to Tunisia alongside other captives, including two fellow Kenyans from Mandera, who are currently caring for him in the said hospital.” Following an investigation using forensic intelligence, investigators from the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) pursued and captured the suspect, who they claim played a crucial part in the victim’s trafficking.
The DCI has not stated where or when the perpetrator was arrested, nor has the victim been physically reunited with his family. The DCI stated that the suspect was produced for prosecution by ATPU detective officers at the Mandera Law Courts on Friday, March 14. According to the DCI, the case will be heard on April 4, 2025, after the prosecution obtained a 21-day custody order.
“Bilal Shukri Ahmed has today been presented for prosecution by officers from the Anti-Terrorist Police Unit (ATPU) based in Mandera for his involvement in the trafficking of Bilal Ali Noor, now 18, who vanished on February 21, 2021, under mysterious circumstances,” DCI said.
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