The case of Hafsa Lukman brings to the fore a worrying trend of families being left in distress after their loved ones are kidnapped for ransom. Hafsa Abdi Ahmed lured her friend into the hands of kidnappers and for five days she was tortured in a bid to extract ransom money from her family. Recounting her ordeal, Lukman shared how Hafsa Abdi visited her shop at Eastleigh and convinced her to escort her to her business in Kayole where she sold watermelons.
The two had known each other for sometime and Lukman had even advanced Hafsa Abdi a loan of kes700,000 in the past.
“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,” the 23 year old told the Standard newspaper.
Hafsa Lukman was accosted by two well built men just after she had finished to say her Magrib (evening prayers) at the store. Meanwhile her friend was busy on her phone sharing messages via text.
“When I finished my prayers, I saw two gigantic men approaching me and immediately they started beating me up,” she told the same publication.
What followed was five days of torture by the kidnappers who were demanding kes5 million to release her. Her friend, who was the mastermind of the kidnapping, was also reported missing. Hafsa Abdi and her boyfriend were arrested on 27th from their hideout in Kinangop.
Education
According to her Facebook ‘about section’, Hafsa claims to have studied Computer Science Engineering at the Kenya Methodist University and also attended University Canada West.
Hafsa Abdi Boyfriend
The 21 year old Hafsa Abdi is in a relationship with a 24 year old Jackson Njogu, who also participated in the heinous crime. According to award winning blogger Simba Hasheem, the two met online and a relationship was brewed. In a long post seen by this writer, Hasheem alleges that it was Hafsa Abdi’s boyfriend who introduced her to the “underworld of drugs, trafficking and robbery”. She is said to have become a heavy alcohol drinker, something that is frowned upon in her faith. The two lovers managed to siphon kes650,000 from their victim’s bank account.
Starting business with loot
Hafsa Mohamed and Jackson Njogu sought refuge in Kinangop where they bought a bar with the proceeds of the stolen money. A tweet by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations read:
“After committing the crime, they (Jackson Njogu and Hafsa Abdi) escaped to Kinangop and purchased a bar, where they were operating from…”
Police pounced on the lovers on 27th at Crystal View Lodge in Kinangop where they were spending the night.