Necdet Seyitoğlu spent nearly two decades in the UK before relocating to Kenya.
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In a recent chat with the BBC, a British resident revealed a startling account of being nabbed alongside several Turkish nationals by masked individuals in Nairobi. To date, four of those Turks remain unaccounted for.
Necdet Seyitoğlu, who made the UK his home for 18 years prior to his move to Kenya two years back, shared that after being held for eight harrowing hours, he convinced his captors to release him by flashing his British passport.
The UK Foreign Office acknowledged the incident, stating they are “offering consular support to a British man and his kin following an event in Kenya.”
A member of the Kenyan police disclosed to the BBC their ongoing probe into this “kidnapping situation,” following a report from a motorcycle rider who witnessed the abduction.
Details emerged of two vehicles hemming in a silver sedan from both the front and back, before stopping it in its tracks.
“Around eight armed individuals poured out of these vehicles, pulled the two passengers from inside, and took off with them,” Kenyan police spokesperson Resila Onyango recounted.
“Yusuf Kar, a British citizen of Turkish background,” later approached the local police station, identifying the missing duo as Hüseyin Yeşilsu and Necdet Seyitoğlu.
The Turkish government has yet to voice any comments regarding the incident.
Mr. Seyitoğlu, working in education consultancy, offered more insights into his capture, which he claims differ from official police records.
A white SUV allegedly cut off his path just as he was leaving home for work with a friend at 07:30 local time (04:30 GMT). He claims they were blindfolded and constrained by handcuffs before being whisked away by four armed individuals.
Mr. Seyitoğlu recalled asking repeatedly for identification and clarity on their destination, only to be met with silence. “None of our questions were answered,” the 49-year-old recounted.
“That experience tops my list of life’s most terrifying moments,” he added.
Eventually, Mr. Seyitoğlu managed to show his captors his British citizenship through a digital passport copy on his phone.
After they captured an image of the document, he overheard a call instructing his release. The masked men, communicating in Swahili, dropped him off at an unfamiliar location, handing over 1,000 shillings ($7.50; £6) for his commute back home, but they kept hold of his phone and laptop.
During this nerve-racking event, Mr. Seyitoğlu’s wife reported him missing to the authorities, including the British High Commission.
Mr. Seyitoğlu also reported the abduction of six other acquaintances, all Turks, seized in a similar fashion across Nairobi.
The local firm, Mukele & Kakai, announced its representation of four registered refugees and cautioned airlines against facilitating their deportation.
“Our clients faced abduction in Kenya aiming to send them back to Turkey, where they suffer political persecution,” a letter from the firm, accessed by the BBC, disclosed.
Reinforcing this sentiment, Amnesty International’s Kenyan representative voiced “deep worry over reports of seven Turkish asylum seekers snatched in Kenya.”
While the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) acknowledged awareness of these reports, they promised further details when available.
Additional insight by Natasha Booty
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
