ACT Wazalendo’s Mazrui re-emerges, five hours after alleged abduction

Zanzibar. Opposition politician Nassor Ahmed Mazrui re-emerged on Sunday afternoon after spending five hours with people who had allegedly held him hostage since morning.

Mr Mazrui, who is Deputy Secretary General for ACT-Wazalendo for Zanzibar, reportedly went missing on Sunday morning when people, whose identity was not immediately established and who were driving in an unmarked vehicle, hit his car from behind before taking him away.

ACT-Wazalendo said earlier on Sunday that the politician was taken away by unknown assailants in the highly guarded area of Saateni while driving to the opposition party’s head office in Vuga, Zanzibar.

The party’s leader, Zitto Kabwe took to his twitter page early on Sunday, claiming that the outspoken opposition politician has been ‘abducted by unknown assailants’.

He said the unknown assailants blocked Mr Mazrui’s car and took him away to an unknown place.

In his tweet, Mr Kabwe condemned the incident and demanded Mr Mazrui’s immediate release.

Another ACT-Wazalendo leader, Ismail Jussa also twitted: “Just over an hour ago, ACT Wazalendo #Zanzibar Campaign Manager and the party’s Deputy Secretary-General for Zanzibar, Nassor Mazrui, was attacked and abducted at Saateni, Zanzibar Town, a few minutes after leaving his house on his way to the party offices”.

The Mjini Magharibi Regional Police Commissioner, Mr Awadh Juma Haji, had earlier said that police had been informed of the missing of Mr Mazrui and promised to issue a detailed report upon completion of investigations.

But to the surprise of many, at around 3:00pm, a vehicle carrying Mr Mazrui suddenly arrived at Mnazi Mmoja grounds where the party’s Presidential candidate for Zanzibar, Mr Seif Sharif Hamad was winding up his campaigns ahead of October 28 polls.

Mr Hamad hugged Mr Mazrui as he arrived at the grounds in a gesture that shortly disrupted the rally at a time when the party’s presidential running mate, Prof Omary Fakhii was addressing the public.

The ACT-Wazalendo head of ideology, publicity and public communications, Mr Salim Biman, said Mr Mazrui will have time to explain what had happened to him.

A confidant of ACT-Wazalendo national chairman and Zanzibar Presidential candidate, Seif Sharif Hamad, Mr Mazrui is the opposition party’s aspirant for Zanzibar House of Representative for Mwera Constituency