Tension In Moyale As Gov't Intensifies Search For Abducted South Korean Missionaries: "Kuna Leads"

• Kenyan officials, led by Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli, have intensified efforts to locate two abducted South Korean nationals in Moyale
• Masengeli visited the abduction site with senior security officials, urging cooperation between the public and security teams to aid in the investigation
• The South Korean missionaries were abducted on August 12 by armed assailants at Odda Mission Secondary School, with their captors fleeing on motorbikes
• Six Ethiopians are among eight suspects detained in connection with the abduction as authorities pursue leads, including a phone signal

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Marsabit - Kenyan officials have intensified efforts to find two recently abducted South Korean nationals.

Senior security officers led by Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli met in Moyale for an urgent security meeting to plan their operations amid tension in the area.

Masengeli visited the scene of the abduction accompanied by area MP Jaldesa Guyo Waqo and senior security officials.

Masengeli stressed the importance of cooperation between the security teams and the public, revealing they had made inroads in their investigations.

He urged local residents to provide any information that could assist in resolving the case and securing the return of the missionaries.

"We have come to see how we can find those who were abducted because there is already a team working on tracing them, and investigations are ongoing to see how we can rescue them and reunite them with their families. Secondly, there are many cases of human trafficking and other related issues happening here, but we've come to ensure that these come to an end.

Regarding the two South Koreans who were abducted, we are still following up; they haven't been found yet, but we have leads that we're pursuing, and we are confident they will be located. We also appeal to the public that if anyone has any information, they should share it with the government," Masengeli said.

How were South Korean missionaries abducted

In the Monday, August 12 night incident, two armed assailants raided Odda Mission Secondary School, where the missionaries were staying.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects fired shots as they rode off on motorbikes down the Marsabit-Moyale Highway towards Funanyatta.

One of the victim's mobile phone signal was last traced to the border with Ethiopia, and as a result, six Ethiopians are among the eight suspects who have been detained.

On August 13, 2024, the suspects appeared before the Moyale Principal Magistrate's Court, where an order was issued to detain them for 10 days to aid in investigations.

Three cartridges that were found by security personnel at the crime scene have been sent for ballistic examination to the DCI Forensic Lab.

7 people killed in banditry attack

Elsewhere, an armed gang attacked a lorry ferrying more than seven people in the Forolle area, Marsabit county.

Seven people were killed after the attackers shot at the vehicle indiscriminately before setting it ablaze.

Eastern regional police commander Charles Naibei said they have yet to establish the motive for the attack.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

CBK's New Banknotes Printing Mystery: MPs Summon Kamau Thugge Over Tender To German Firm
Starlink's Elon Musk Set To Become World's First Trillionaire, His Net Worth
In Photos: Families, Locals Spotted At Hillside Endarasha Academy After Night Fire Kills 17 Pupils

Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli

Tension high in Moyale after abduction of South Korean missionaries

Tension in Moyale as Gov't Intensifies Search for Abducted South Korean