Wednesday May 7, 2025
The remains of Fahmo Gabayre’s house lie in ruins in Mogadishu’s Xamar Jajab district following the March 18, 2025 bombing that targeted a convoy escorting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The explosion, which killed several people including journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe, led the government to seize the property, alleging it was used in a manner that posed a threat to national security — a claim Gabayre strongly denies. (Reuters)
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali authorities have seized a private residence in Mogadishu’s Xamar Jajab district, alleging it was used in connection with a deadly March bombing that targeted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy and killed several people, including a journalist. The homeowner, Fahmo Warsame Gabayre, denies any wrongdoing and says she will challenge the move in court.
The Banadir regional administration announced the confiscation on Tuesday, citing national security concerns and invoking Somalia’s penal code, civil code, and anti-terrorism legislation. Officials said the house was being used “for a dangerous purpose that threatens public safety and national security,” though they have not presented specific evidence publicly or confirmed a court ruling authorizing the seizure.
The March 18 roadside bombing, claimed by the al-Shabab militant group, struck a security convoy escorting the president near the same area. President Hassan Sheikh escaped unharmed, but the explosion killed nearly ten people, including journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe, and wounded many others. It was one of several assassination attempts targeting the president since he returned to office in 2022 amid a renewed military campaign against the insurgent group.
“The house was used for purposes that directly endangered public safety and national security,” a Banadir regional official told local media. The decree to seize the property was issued by Banadir Governor and Mogadishu Mayor Yusuf Hussein Jimale, based on reports from the Somali police and the Ministry of Internal Security.
However, security officials have not announced any arrests tied to the property, and the regional spokesperson did not clarify what specific connection the home or its tenants had to the March bombing.
Gabayre, who lives in Nairobi, strongly rejected the allegations and said the house had been rented out to tenants who were vetted and registered in accordance with Banadir administration procedures. “The government’s decision to take my house is wrong,” she told the BBC. “I wasn’t even in the country at the time, and the people staying at the house were cleared by the local authorities.”
She emphasized that she was never informed of an investigation and denied any knowledge of criminal activity linked to the property. “If explosives were placed in that house or neighbourhood, it was the government’s responsibility to monitor that,” she said. “A wall doesn’t commit a crime.”
Gabayre also said she was told that several people connected to the tenants had been arrested, but she herself has not been implicated in any investigation.
“The government should prosecute those responsible, not punish the owner,” she added. “There is law in this country, and I will go to court to get my property back.”
- With files from the BBC Somali Service