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On July 24 this year, 26-year-old British citizen Muhammad Kasiman was kidnapped. After promising the Malawians that the kidnapping scandal would be thoroughly investigated, Homeland Security Minister Ken Zikhale Ng’oma and the Malawi Police Service (MPS) have remained silent on what happened, with no arrests even made six weeks after the incident.
There has been a deafening silence from Zihale and the Malawi police amidst the grave reports gathered by Nyasa Times detailing that a K2 billion ransom was exchanged between those involved to secure Mohammed’s safe release and that the police were strongly and sternly warned not to meddle in the matter.
It was like a well-choreographed movie that Mohammed was kidnapped dangerously near the Falls Estate in Lilongwe during the day at about 2pm on July 24 and dumped in Kampata, Lilongwe three days later.
Lilongwe police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu confirmed that Mohammed had been found, although police initially informed the public that the British citizen had been abducted by unknown persons. However, police have neither issued a statement nor made any arrests since then.
In fact, after the kidnapping, Tsihale Ngoma publicly declared: “As you know, this is not the first kidnapping from the Asian community. As Minister of Home Affairs, it is my responsibility to ensure that everyone in Malawi is safe.” Again, the Honourable Minister has never revealed any information on this matter.
Malawians are now beginning to wonder how safe they are with kidnappings taking place in broad daylight while police appear to be merely watching. Even economic commentators believe these unexplained and unpunished kidnappings are damaging the country’s image as an investment destination, undermining President Lazarus Chakwera’s government’s relentless efforts to revive the economy.
what happened?
Nyasatimes has gathered exclusive details about the shocking story of 26-year-old businessman, Muhammad Kasiman, a British citizen of Indian origin, who was abducted on July 24, 2024, while returning to his office from the Waterfall Estate Mosque in Lilongwe at about 2pm and was found abandoned on July 27.
Our investigation revealed that he was abducted in a black Noah car without license plates as a result of an illegal deal gone wrong between the Cassimane family and their hired contractor, Nidal Mroue, a Malawian of Lebanese origin.
The Kasimans (including brothers Riaz, Nizam and Yasin) are a powerful and extremely wealthy family that owns CP Poultry, CP Feeds, Universal Industries and CP Properties. On the other hand, Nidal Moreu is also a wealthy businessman with interests in the construction industry.
Our highly placed sources revealed to us that in 2019, the Kasiman family hired Mroue to construct the new Universal Industries building in Malangalanga, Lilongwe and after signing the contract, they managed to bypass all laws and by-laws governing the construction industry in the country through their connections.
“Because it was just the two of them, the project went ahead. By 2021, it was in the final stages of completion but there was an issue of nearly K1.2 billion owed and they started arguing with the Kasimans, accusing Mroue of exaggerating the figures. They started arguing and threatening each other to the point where the Kasimans hired policemen as bodyguards,” the source said.
Sources further told us that the issue lay dormant for years until it resurfaced this year after the abduction of Nizam Kasimane’s son, Mohammed, a director of Universal Limited.
The police learned
Nyasa Times gathered that after the kidnapping of Mohammed Kasimang, the Kasimang people reported the case to the police, who confirmed the incident to the media through Lilongwe police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu.
However, according to our sources, the Cassimans, with the help of a senior cabinet minister, instructed the police not to get involved in the investigation as they would be conducting their own probe.
“The search for Mohammed started from the day he was kidnapped, with a search and rescue team comprising the Indian community using a tracker to locate the IP which was switched off at the time. They managed to find Mohammed’s iPhone near Dzaleka in Dowa and recovered his iPhone under a rock on the Dzaleka hill. However, they did not find Mohammed,” he said.
Mohammed was abducted by thugs armed with a black mobile phone, however, on July 27, three days after the abduction, his phone was found abandoned in Kampata, Lilongwe, about 100 kilometres from Zaleka where the phone was found.
Surprisingly, Lilongwe police spokesperson Hastings Chigalu confirmed that Mohammed had been found but refused to divulge details of what happened, insisting “they will come back”.
Homeland Security Minister Tshihale Ngoma also told the media: “As you know, this is not the first time that the Asian community has been kidnapped. As the Minister of Home Affairs, it is my responsibility to ensure that everyone in Malawi is safe and secure.”
Zihal also confirmed our investigation that Mohammed’s iPhone was found discarded by the kidnappers, but since Mohammed was found on July 27, the minister has never informed the nation whether anyone has been arrested.
The K2 billion question
Our investigations revealed that Muhammed Kasiman was kidnapped by a group of thugs allegedly hired by contractor Nidal Mroue to force the Kasiman people to pay the K1.2 billion they have been disputing since 2021.
Our sources stressed that due to the various illegalities involved in the Universal Industrial Construction deal, neither of them sought the help of a registered debtor collector, the courts or the police to resolve the case as they feared retaliation from both parties.
We also have records that Mroue hatched the kidnapping plan at the instigation of an unnamed senior Cabinet minister in order to force the Kasimans to quickly hand over the money they would share.
“Remember, most of the Cabinet ministers were busy raising funds for the MCP Congress election campaign during this period. So, this Cabinet minister saw an opportunity, made a plan and ensured that the police would not be involved,” our source said.
Our sources revealed that the Kasimans paid a ransom of K2 billion for Mohammed’s release, which was shared between Monroe and Cabinet ministers, which ultimately led to Mohammed being dumped in Kampata.
That’s it, the police are silent
We tried to speak to Zikhale and the police spokesperson but in vain as their calls went unanswered. However, it must be recorded that Lilongwe police spokesperson Chigalu told the media on the 27thday Police will release a statement in July, the day Mohammed was found, and Zihal has assured the public that he will get to the bottom of the matter.
Six weeks later: no arrests, no statements – just silence. Apparently, Mohammed is now back in the UK.
Can Parliament help?
Meanwhile, the Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI) has written to the Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani, asking her to exercise her powers to commission a joint parliamentary committee to conduct a public inquiry to help Malawians exercise their rights to understand what is happening in the national security system.
CCEDI also wants the joint committees, specifically the Trade and Industry Committee and the Defence and Security Committee, to summon the current MPS Inspector General (IG), Merlyn Yolamu, to explain to the nation whether she is in control of the country’s security system, including an explanation for the country’s glaring security lapses.
In a letter dated 22nd In the letter signed by CCEDI Executive Director Sylvestre Namiwa and formally received by Gotani’s personal assistant Grace Nyirenda in August 2024, CCEDI said their concerns were triggered by the government’s inaction on a recent case involving a 26-year-old businessman, a British national of Indian origin, Mr Muhammad Kasiman, who was abducted while returning to his office from the Falls Estate (Region 1) Mosque in Lilongwe at about 2pm.
“The Lilongwe Police assured the nation that they were on top of the situation but were later informed by the same police that Mr. Kasiman was released on Saturday evening, July 27, 2024, with no further details and arrest information,” he said, adding that nearly a month had passed without any official statement from the Malawi Police Service (MPS), let alone the family and survivors.
Today, Malawians live in fear as allegations of kidnapping remain a serious security concern worldwide, made worse by the fact that this latest case involved a foreigner and a businessman.
“In short, the silence of the authorities is creating fear and panic among the people of Malawians, besides, it could also scare off potential and existing investors, thereby threatening efforts to revive the ailing economy and create much-needed jobs for the youth,” he said.
He also noted that, as of now, one cannot help but wonder whether Malawi is a safer place to live, let alone do business.
“Why do our police seem so uninterested in these serious security issues? Is it a question of incompetence or outright negligence? In all these cases, was a ransom paid? Are these cases the result of business deals gone wrong?” he pointed out.
This is the fourth kidnapping case involving the Asian community. A simple internet search will show that we have two reported cases in 2021; Tariq Noorani and Faizal Aboo, while a 3-year-old boy, Aaraf Kapadia, was also kidnapped in June 2022.
There was no immediate response from the speaker’s office.
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