A magistrate court in Wajir has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) permission to exhume the body of Gaala Aden Abdi, the 17-year-old girl who was burned to death after allegedly refusing to marry a 55-year-old man.
Gaala was buried on March 22 at Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Wajir County. The Senior County Criminal Investigations Officer (SCCIO) of Wajir West will oversee the exhumation process, while the Dagahaley Police Station has been ordered to provide security during the operation.
The exhumation aims to enable a repeat postmortem examination to determine the exact cause of death and extract samples for toxicology and DNA analysis. According to the investigators, DNA sampling may be conducted at the gravesite or another location as advised by the Government Pathologist.
The brutal murder of Gaala shocked the nation. Reports indicate she was forcibly married to the 55-year-old man and transported at night from Dagahley refugee camp, located about 150 kilometers away, to Wara, Ademasajida in Habaswein—a remote village—to meet the man for the first time. When she rejected him, despite pressure from his relatives, she was murdered.
It is reported that Gaala managed to make a phone call on the night of her death, during which she revealed that there were plans to kill her and named the individuals involved.
A postmortem report showed that her body sustained 100% burns, suggesting the use of an open flame in her killing. The case continues to draw national attention as investigators intensify efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
