•Anshuur Hussein is a co-owner of Bluebird Aviation and revealed how they once successfully organised a secret mission to return the body of former Somalia ruler back home. Not even powerful government, or members of the security council knew that they had flown outside the country.
In January 1995, former Somalia ruler Siad Barre died while in exile in Lagos, Nigeria. But returning his body back home proved to be a significantly challenging task for the family.
Barre had ruled Somalia for over two decades before he was driven out of power in 1991. During his reign, there were reports of human rights abuses.
He initially fled to Kenya. However, pressure mounted from parliament and various human rights organisations made Barre’s stay to be short-lived. He eventually sought asylum in Nigeria where he stayed for four years before he succumbed to diabetes.
Two Kenyan pilots, Nigerian diplomats and a secret mission
While Barre’s family sought the intervention of the Nigerian Air force to return the body home, the plan hit headwinds. They were told that the intended airstrip in Somalia had a small runway that couldn’t accommodate their military plane.
Given the Islamic traditions that require prompt interment, another plan had to be quickly devised and executed.
A Nigerian diplomat knocked on the door of Bluebird Aviation at Wilson Airport and informed the owners of the lucrative albeit risky deal. Captain Anshuur Hussein and Adan were told to secretly charter a flight to bring back the body – and not even government officials were supposed to know about it.
The risk was that the consequences would be dire if President Moi’s officials knew about it and it could lead to a diplomatic fallout.
“We knew immediately this wasn’t a normal charter…If the Kenyan authorities found out, it could have caused serious problems,” Anshuur told BBC.
However, the duo asked the diplomat to give them time to debate on it, promising feedback the following day. The mission was said to come with a generous financial reward, kind of a jackpot, though the exact figure remains under tight wraps.
Accepting the offer
The following day, the two pilots accepted the offer but on conditions that if anything went south, the Nigerian Government had to take responsibility. Additionally, they demanded to have two embassy officials on the flight.