Fresh details have emerged around the kidnapping and torture of Eastleigh businesswoman Hafsa Mohamed Lukman, who was rescued from a house in Nairobi’s Kayole area.
Hafsa Mohamed revealed to the Standard that her abduction was the handiwork of her close friend Hafsa Abdul – who was arrested on Sunday, June 27 alongside another suspect in connection to the kidnapping.
“She was my friend, though not a very close one, who led me to the kidnapping trap. She asked me to accompany her to Kayole where her other shop is located,” she told The Standard, adding that she had even loaned her Ksh700,000 to expand her watermelon business.
The incident was captured on a CCTV footage captured at Hafsa Mohamed’s shop.
“She told me she had a store in Kayole, where she was selling watermelon, but when we got there, there was nothing apart from sawdust scattered all over,” noted Hafsa Mohamed who is still recovering from the shock.
As a devout Muslim, she knelt down to say her evening prayers (Maghrib) on the ground inside her friend’s store.
Her friend is said to have been on the phone – conversing with unknown people throughout their trip.
Beating me up
“When I finished my prayers, I saw two gigantic men approaching me and immediately they started beating me up,” she said fighting back tears.
“They held me by the neck and started beating me up. They then covered my mouth with the sawdust to stop me from calling for help.
“My friend was watching all this while,” she went on, adding that the men beating her up, covered her eyes, tied her hands and feet then put her in an empty water tank which they used to transport her to a dingy house in Kayole’s Matopeni area.
I trusted her as my friend
“I trusted her and was always there when she needed me. I just want justice served for what they put me through. I am so happy they have been arrested,” said Hafsa who claims she met Hafsa Abdi in California where they were business neighbours.
She was rescued by police on Sunday, June 20.
Jackson Njogu, 24 and Hafsa Abdi, 21 were arrested in Kinangop in connection with the abduction and torture of Hafsa Mohamed.