Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga was on Sunday night released after 24 hours of alleged abduction.

This is the third time he has been held incommunicado.

Njenga, who later appeared in court yesterday morning for the mention of a case, was reportedly released in Limuru, Kiambu county, at around 10.15pm and his abductors gave him Sh2,000.

Yesterday, Makadara Law Courts Chief Magistrate Tito Gesora was urged to issue protection orders against police officers over harassment of Njenga.

“They blindfolded the accused to an extent the abductees could not tell in which part of the country they were,” lawyer Ndegwa Njiru told the court.

Another lawyer, Evans Ondieki, asked why a State officer should be hooded, saying: “He or she should give honour to the office. It is only criminals who hide their faces.”

The lawyers also said confiscated items including mobile phones must be returned to the accused.

The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), however said they needed a further mention for the investigating officer to clarify on the exhibits in question adding that they were not aware of the abduction and only learnt about it in the media.

“Whatever happened is not related to the current case,” the prosecutor told the court and urged the defence lawyers to proceed to the High Court and file a case on violation of client’s rights.

Blindfolded

The Magistrate also directed the defence lawyers to file a report and an inventory of the items confiscated.

“No one should be subjected to inhuman treatment,” Gesora said.

The case will be heard on December 3.

Njenga said his abductors, believed to be DCI officers, questioned him about planned demonstrations by the Raila Odinga-led opposition.

Njenga said the men blindfolded and handcuffed him before driving him to an unknown destination where they also asked him if the opposition was recruiting new groups or members.

They later drove him back to Banana area, not very far from where he had earlier been abducted. The abductors did not identify themselves nor did they say he was under arrest.

Lawyer Njiru has accused police of being behind the abduction.

He was released just hours after Azimio leaders demanded his immediate release.

Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka, Democratic Action Party leader Eugene Wamalwa and Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni had on Sunday afternoon said Njenga’s abduction was an attempt to distract Kenyans from the Kenya Kwanza government’s crises like the rising cost of fuel and food.

“We condemn the abduction and continued persecution of Maina and his family. We demand his immediate and unconditional release or his production in court. We want to make it clear that we will hold the Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome fully accountable for the life of Maina should anything happen to him,” said Karua in a statement she read on behalf of the coalition.

“Kenya Kwanza has failed. It is getting desperate and it will get increasingly brutal and dictatorial. We have to stand firm, fight and demand our freedoms and all other rights,” Karua added.

According to Karua, the abductors were  part of the Operation Support Unit that terrorised Kenyans during the anti-tax protests, adding that the unit was “alive, active and determined to intimidate and harm Kenyans”.

Cash bail

Karua said the arrest was an attempt to interfere with the scheduled pre-trial, and that it was also part of the ongoing targeting and intimidation of opposition leaders.

Kioni asked all young people who have been victims of rogue police to present their petitions and memorandum to the National Dialogue Committee co-chaired by Kalonzo and National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah.

Njenga had earlier been arrested on July 19. At the time, detectives said they had found him, his aide and brother in possession of 14 machetes, 24 Maasai swords, 46 rungus, and three jembe sticks.

He was charged on July 25 and later released on a cash bail of Sh100,000.

In May this year, Njenga made headlines when police raided his three homes in Nairobi, Nakuru and Laikipia counties.

This followed claims they recovered weapons from the Nakuru home on May 12 when the police raided Njenga’s home in Ngomongo village in Bahati, Nakuru.