Social media influencer Gabriel Oguda has been found and released after being abducted by unknown men in plain clothes over 24 hours ago.
X user Nyandia Gachago confirmed the news by writing, "He is safe," after uploading a photograph of four individuals, including Oguda, who had been missing since Tuesday morning.
"He is safe, watu wangu," she said, praising the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and its president, Faith Odhiambo.
His brother Zachary wrote, "GAB IS FREE." I cannot thank the Twitter community enough for coming through for our family when we needed it. Ahsanteni Sana."
GAB IS FREE.
— Zachary Oguda (@zaxoguda) June 26, 2024
I can't thank you much Twitter community for coming through for our family when we needed you.
Ahsanteni sana.
Oguda, a strong opponent of President William Ruto's regime, was reportedly dragged away from his residence at approximately 2 a.m. by alleged policemen.
His detention has been related to his outspoken online criticism of the controversial Finance Bill 2024, which provoked widespread protests that turned fatal on Tuesday.
Reports of his kidnapping were combined with suspicions that other persons behind the X pages, Franje, Drey Mwangi, and Osama Otero, had been apprehended overnight, causing a public outcry.
On Tuesday morning, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) issued a statement condemning the abductions as a return to darkness.
"Over the last 72 hours, Kenya has been drawn back to the dark era of a rogue, irrational police force operating through repressive, retrogressive, clandestine, illegal, extra-judicial tactics to forcefully quell public dissent against misgivings of government, lapses in governance and more specifically, the contentious Finance Bill 2024," Odhiambo said.
She stated that the lawyers' group would hold those responsible for the abductions accountable.
