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Fahmo Gabayre, a Nairobi-based homeowner, denies any role in the March attack on President Hassan Sheikh’s convoy and says her property was legally rented to vetted tenants
Somali authorities have taken over a privately owned house in Mogadishu’s Xamar Jajab district, saying it was used in connection with a deadly bombing in March. That attack targeted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy and killed several people, including a journalist.
The owner of the house, Fahmo Warsame Gabayre, says she had nothing to do with the bombing and plans to take the matter to court.
The Banadir regional administration made the announcement on Tuesday. They said the house was being used in a way that put national security and public safety at risk. The government cited the country’s penal code, civil law, and anti-terrorism laws as their reason for taking the property. However, they haven’t shown any public evidence or confirmed if a court gave them permission to seize the home.
The bombing took place on March 18. A roadside bomb exploded near a security convoy that was protecting President Hassan Sheikh. The president wasn’t hurt, but about ten people were killed, including journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe. Many others were injured. The militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack. This bombing was one of several attempts to assassinate the president since he returned to power in 2022. His government has launched a renewed military campaign against al-Shabab.
A Banadir regional official told local media that the house had been used in a way that seriously threatened public safety. The decision to take over the property was made by Banadir Governor and Mogadishu Mayor Yusuf Hussein Jimale. The decision was based on reports from the Somali police and the Ministry of Internal Security.
So far, authorities have not said whether anyone living in the house was arrested, and they haven’t explained how the house was linked to the bombing.
The house owner, Fahmo Warsame Gabayre, lives in Nairobi and denies any wrongdoing. She told the BBC that she had rented out the house to tenants who had been properly vetted and registered with the local government in Banadir.
“The government is wrong to take my house,” she said. “I wasn’t even in Somalia when the bombing happened. The people who were living there were approved by the authorities.”
Gabayre also said she had no idea that anything illegal was happening at the house. She said the government never contacted her or informed her about any investigation.
“If there were explosives in that house or even in that area, it was the government’s job to monitor it,” she said. “A building itself can’t commit a crime.”
She also mentioned that she was told some people connected to the tenants had been arrested, but she herself is not under investigation.
Gabayre feels the government is being unfair by blaming her. “If anyone committed a crime, they should be punished, not the homeowner,” she said. “This country has laws, and I will take my case to court to get my house back.”
The situation has raised concerns among property owners and legal experts in Somalia, who are watching closely to see how the courts will handle the matter.