Police reservists flee into thicket as armed men confront Miraa driver in Mandera

According to a police report obtained by Citizen Digital, Ibrahim Yusuf was driving from Mandera to Wajir Road when he came across a group of armed men who ordered him to stop his vehicle.

Two vehicles that were tailgating the Miraa driver also came to a stop. One of the vehicles was carrying four National Police Reservists on official duty en route to Wargaduud.

The armed men ordered Yusuf and his co-driver to alight and lie flat on the ground, threatening to shoot them if they did not comply.

"They ransacked them their valuables while ordering them to produce the NPR officers who were on board," read part of the police report. 

While witnessing the incident unfolding, the four NPRs alighted from the vehicle and fled into a nearby thicket, leaving the miraa driver at the mercy of the suspected militia men. 

Moments after noticing that the NPRs had escaped from the vehicle, the armed men torched the car in anger. 

The driver who was still on the ground, alongside his turnboy, were then directed to drive back and leave the premises. In a moments notice, Yusuf and his co-driver sought refuge at Kutulo Police Station. 

After reporting the incident, a clearance patrol led by Special Operations Group (SOG) Kutulo was dispatched to the scene to document and process the situation.

Investigations have since been launched to locate the armed men's whereabouts.