Buroa, January 21, 2006 (SL Times) – A large transport vehicle belonging to Hargeysa businessman was highjacked on 15 th January south of Buuhoodle town inside the Ethiopian border by clansmen belonging to Jama Kutiye, the infamous terrorist gang leader who awaits the death penalty in Hargeysa High Security Prison, sentenced to death by Hargeysa court in October 2005 for his part in carrying out the murders of Somaliland foreign aid workers in 2003/4.

The vehicle was traveling from Somalia to Hargeysa laden with banana produce when gunmen belonging to the tribe of convicted terrorist Jama Kutiye hijacked the vehicle and took hostage the driver and 10 passengers traveling on board the vehicle when hijacked. The hijackers are demanding the release of Jama Kutiye from Hargeysa prison in exchange for the lives of the hostages.

Somaliland head of police chief, General Mohamed Ege confirmed to S/Land Times that this hostage taking incident had occurred somewhere inside the Ethiopian side of the border adjacent to Togdheer’s region of Somaliland’s borderline with Ethiopia, and that the hostage takers took the driver, passengers and vehicle further south into Ethiopia. When asked what steps have you taken to release the driver, passengers and vehicle, Somaliland police Chief general Mohamed Ege said that "Togdheer regional police force have met with elders in Buuhoodle district akin to the clan-folks of the hijackers and that the elders have already made contact with the hijackers and have assured us that the hostages will be released soon".

Togdheer region Haatuf newspaper reporter Ahmed Adan Yusuf, informed Somaliland Times that on the 16th January, a day after the hijacking that the elders in Buuhoodle district had safely secured the release of the 10 passengers held hostage and vehicle but could not secure the release of the driver. And that the regional Togdheer police commander A. Mohamed Guutaale said when asked about the release of the driver that “the elders of the hostage takers clan have not given up on the driver and were very optimistic in securing his release very soon”.