A Somali military court has delivered its verdict in the case of former military Captain Sheegow Ahmed Ali and his militia members, following their trial on Thursday.
Captain Sheegow Ahmed Ali was sentenced to ten years in prison and ordered to pay compensation to the family of Sakariye Mohamed Ali, the victim of the murder. Additionally, he is required to provide compensation to Deputy Officer Abdullahi Hussein Abdukhadir, who was wounded during a clash between Shegow’s militia and government forces.
The commander of Sheegow’s militia forces, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan (Abi Ahmed), received the death penalty for the murder of two individuals in a court in Jowhar town on February 13 of this year. During the court proceedings, Abi Ahmed confessed to the killings but contended that the matter had been previously resolved through cultural means.
In addition to these sentences, 18 militia members were handed six-year sentences in military prison, while two others involved in phone robberies received five-year sentences in military prison.
Since Sheegow’s arrest, protests have erupted in Mogadishu and other towns in Somalia, with his tribesmen demanding his immediate release and alleging political motivations behind his detention.
The arrests and subsequent trial came in the wake of a security operation conducted by Somali police forces in Mogadishu in August. They apprehended former military captain Sheegow Ahmed Ali and 25 of his armed men, accusing them of destabilizing the security of the capital and engaging in conflicts with security forces. The police spokesman reported the discovery of stolen mobile phones and counterfeit banknotes at Shegow’s residence.
Source: Somali Signal