Africa
Government Arrest Three Men for Printing Forged Somalia Passport
July 21, 2011 · 37 Comments
HARGEISA (SomalilandPress) — Somaliland officials have broken up a forged Somalia passport ring that was based in Hargeisa. According to General Abdirahman Libaan Ahmed of the Somaliland Police three suspects; Sheikh Almis Yahye, Sheikh Mohamed Omar Samatar and Khadar Abdi Ismail have been arrested and taken into custody at the Criminal Investigation Division Headquarter. One of the suspects is a well known in Somaliland as he happens to be the Dean of International Horn University (IHU) based in Hargeisa and a well respected businessman. If the Dean of IHU is found guilty this will be a very serious blow to the University which currently offers a range of highly reputable courses including a number awarded by the UK based Association of Business Executives (ABE).
It looks likely that the three suspects are to be charged with possession and distribution of Somali passport which is prohibited in Somaliland. Anyone that is caught printing illegal Somali passports is liable to be charged with a treasonable offence.
At the time of their arrest the suspects were found to be in possession of the following items: a computer, a digital camera, finger printing equipment, application request forms, and four forged Somali passports. When General Abdirahman Liban was asked if the rumour that has been circulating in the capital that Somaliland government has signed an agreement to have Somalia’s TFG passport printed and distributed in Hargeisa was true, the general replied with a firm ‘ NO’. Somaliland has its own passport and currency.
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Tags: forgery, Hargeisa, passports, Somaliland police, TFG
Readers Comments (37)
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Two Sheikhs are arrested? I guess having the title "Sheikh" in front of your name means nothing now. A Dean of a University too? Who is next?
title of sheikh has meaning to those who understand and a society that respects education and intellectuals. When few controls country and no true judiciary exist this is what you end up. choas will take over and people will loose their trust in the system. As who is next who knows it could be anyone as long as the system is not put right.
Take it easy sis. Regardless of all the spotlight and glamour that surrounds Somaliland, the region is still a work in progress. The fact that the majority of the population still lives off of remittances sent by the SL diaspora should tell you everything. The Umployment rate is also well above 50% the last time I checked.
That the real issue! Not this "When few control country" stuff. If am hungry, unemployed and with a family to feed, I'm going to hustle by necessity, since the last time I checked SL wasn't rich enough to provide WELFARE!
How much do you think an average teacher in Somaliland gets paid? I've been told $50 or a little more or less. Regardless, the lowest rent in Hargeisa is $100-120 US and that's if you are lucky. What about food?, What about clothes etc.
As far as I am concerned, the SL government needs to give this brother a real job so he can live. That is the only way to stop poverty motivated crime.
If the charges against Almis and the other two suspects are substantiated, they should be hanged for treason against Somaliland.
Hang? Treason?
Don't you think that is a bit too extreme? I do not believe it rises to the level of treason, national security is not at stake. If anything, those Sheiks are embarrassed than worrying about going to jail. How do you regain your reputation after this?
hang them? lol you gotta be kidding
what charges, are you kidding, it is all conspiracy and tells you something about the state of somaliland. We thought that at last we were free and had dignitiy in our own country. in this present day and age a Sheikh can be arrested in the streets of his own city without any concrete evidence. It shows that the CID of Somaliland is in the hands of few and not for the interest of the nation. If I do not like you I can spark suspicion against anyone and ruin their reputation. What did we fight for if this is how you are treated .
I don't get this.
Original somali passports can be purchased cheap by the dozen.
Why would someone forge Somali Passport?
3'daa haa laa siyoo hal ticket aah oo ah Gesirra,Mogadishu1988
somalilanders can only travel with Somalia passport kkkkkkkk "General" Abdirahman Liban shuld try to travel with the somaliland passport and see what happens kkkkkkk
even Ahmed Silanyo travels with somalia passport kkkkkkk
somalia will always be one.
Question to Sahra. Are you his wife or sister? Cause How else would you know what Silanyo travels with? Do you know anything about him? Do you know he has a British passport? or are you just propagating so that others would be discouraged. Why wouldn't it be possible to travel with an SL passport? Do you know some countries unofficially recognise it? Also, those who go to such lengths to get a Somali passport are normally using it to gain refugee in other countries i.e using Somalia as their status to claim false refuge in other countries. They aren't interested in Somalia. Sorry to break you're dream that Somalis actually care about Somalia..kkkkkk naive. Also most people who are pro Somalia in Somaliland are those waiting to loot it then leave with the money… mark my words these people are not patriots
Question to Sahra. Are you his wife or sister? Cause How else would you know what Silanyo travels with? Do you know anything about him? Do you know he has a British passport? or are you just propagating so that others would be discouraged. Why wouldn't it be possible to travel with an SL passport? Do you know some countries unofficially recognise it? Also, those who go to such lengths to get a Somali passport are normally using it to gain refugee in other countries i.e using Somalia as their status to claim false refuge in other countries. They aren't interested in Somalia. Sorry to break you're dream that Somalis actually care about Somalia..kkkkkk naive. Also most people who are pro Somalia in Somaliland are those waiting to loot it then leave with the money… mark my words these people are not patriots.
All somaliland goverment officials travel to other countries with somaliland passports and they are the only one who can
the dean is human being he can committed crime.i was wondering when those romours come out that somaliland except somali pasport as if there is existancy of state under another state .let tthem see on spot that any body who broke the law is under the law .of were ? somalialnd
this is series crime,, a big threat to our security and the region,,
If this charges are true and these thugs were convicted of the said crime, my advice to Somaliland government is to make sure they finish their sentences and after that please, deport them to Mogadishu apparently, they love to be part of that crazy world.
I hope the punishment these three thugs gets will be a deterrant to future criminals like them that want to under mind what the people of Somaliland have worked for the last twenty years.
Disgrace to our Sheekhs for passport forgery. I do not believe it with my own eyes to see the high respected religious leader to have involved something beyond their honour and dignity. Shame on them.
Musa
asalamu alaykum,
your comments and others of their kind saddens me greatly. It is not our place to judge through speculation and about situations we know little of. This is the case with yourself and others who have spoken out of turn.
I advise you to be careful with your judgements. Simply, keep silent if you are not well-informed. It doesn't do well for you, at all, on many levels.
are they sheikh because of being religious leaders or sheikh as a just respectable title for their status like Dr….either way it is a damage of their reputation
oo he is sheikh alright he is an educated man and everyone knows that but it is human being character to riducule when someone is down. Though Almis is not down and never will be those who hate him and can not wait for him to fall we say to them May Allah give you what you earn. As for those who were behind this episode Allah is wachting and never lets his guide and always gives victory to those who were true to him and obey. Almis will get through this in shalaah.
NO MORE BELEIVE ALMIS SH.YAHYE ALSO HE PLAY HE FATHER NAME.
He is a sheikh regardless what the envious, haters and jealous people might say about him, graduated from Al Azhar university where he studied and learnt about the deen, while the somali people were learning how to kill each other, he made a man out of himself , taught himself and above all he refused to live in the west, refused to raise his kids in the west and chose to come back home to his own homeland and give something back. Even though he has been through hardship, and haven't received any support from those around him he made himself the man he is today. so please don't hate, but appreciate this rare gift that somaliland has finally gave birth to.
Any may I say that this rule applies here: innocent until proven guilty, and he was found innocent.
jazakumallah khayran
"Innocent until proven guilty"….I can respect that! And if he was in fact proven Innocent then the claims against him would be classifed as SLANDER in Islam. SL press as well as police department would also need to publish a FORMAL PUBLIC apology for all the damages put on this man and his families reputation.
If this man is innocent then BIG SHAME ON SL PRESS AND POLICE FORCES!
@Um Bushra
Sure! He is innocent until proven guilty. You said he was found innocent. If you don't mind my asking, by whom?
Assalamu aliakum,
Everyone can write what he think is right, before we accuse someone we need to wait until the charge is proven. Yesterday they were accused and tonight they are free and in their homes. What will we say to Allah about what we write without any clear evidence or anything to base our speculations on? We are not the ones who make judgements about other Muslims. That is for Allah and those who have knowlegde about the so called crimes. Let’s stop getting our opinions from internet gossip sites and start using our intellect to analyse what is the truth. If they were guilty of a crime they would not have been released. These men are innocent and are true to their country which is Somaliland. Those who have envy and are ignorant will not succeed in this world or the hereafter. Brothers and sisters Somaliland is in AFRICA please don’t think our beloved country is in Europe and people are not for sale. Anyone can be set up for the sake of a few dollars and unfortunately in our country there is no justice.
May Allah guide us all and show us the right path. Ameen.
Viva Somaliland!:D
I have to say i agree with you brov. Accusation is an ugly thing but if they really did what they did for real and they are proven guilty then the law applies to them regardless of their title or status or role.
Even if they did it they are human being at the end of the day and we all make mistakes even though it's a shame to be respectable yet breaking national laws. I hope they are proven innocence though
@Hargeisawi-in-London
imagine if you were our leader, oh boi i think we would all get hanged…
i dnt knw much about these sheikhs but if they r proven guilty then they should face the same law as anyone else without a status would but obviously nothing like what u said.
Reliable intelligent source reported that Somaliland Government Officer was involving this ring and they were making passport for Alshabab in Jubbaland. The somaliland CID is investigate this case and hopefully will publish there findings in near future.
Good job Somaliland police. Stop alshabab members to produce false Somali passports.
You know what they say, Religion, the last refuge of a scoundrel. There are sheikhs and then there are sheikhs. There are sheikhs who are of pure heart and you can see it as soon as you meet them. Then there are the other sheikhs, "tusbax-gaab", money hungry and only interested in the material things of this world. You can recognize them too as soon as you meet them. It is the same all over the world, in every religion, the pious and the poisonous.
He is a real Somalilander…
http://hadhwanaagmedia.info/detail.aspx?id=40821
if the Sheikhs have been released then they must be innocent. Just recently that Ahmed Biif guy was arrested then released!. I seriously think there is something wrong with our ''CID'' which seem to be lacking intelligence. Plus this Somali Passport is cheap and can be found everywhere and anywhere in every country. I wonder why you need to go to 3 people including the University Dean to buy one!?
So if they are found innocent then I expect that Somalilandpress and ''CID'' mention it in the public.
By the way on HadhwanaagNews Sheikh Almis said that he was innocent and his arrest was based on lies.
Where is the truth Somalilandpress we need to know the latest news.
I think we need to wait before judging the two men and the Dean as I donot really trust our incompetent CID.
you guys needs to calm down! Sheikh Almis and the 2 other suspects have been released, beacuse they were not guilty of anything!
this article for external consumption, so if your a local please divert your attention to the next article :)
an article that is so neatly written were be answered to that event read this link http://www.somalilandinfo.com/home2/2011/07/27/in…
and i would like if somalilandpress publish it
hey somaliland