Member of elite SOG police unit collapses and dies at camp in Mandera
FILE IMAGE OF A POLICE LINE
Detectives are investigating the sudden death of a member of the elite police unit Special Operations Group (SOG) at their camp in Lafey, Mandera County.
The incident happened at Fino SOG camp in the area on Tuesday, December 2, afternoon, police said.
It is not clear what caused the death of Constable Robert Ngras. Witnesses said he was within the camp when he collapsed while sitting on a chair.
He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The body was later flown to Nairobi for further probe.
SOG is credited for thwarting dozens of terror related incidents in the area. They have been strategically deployed to various hot spots to pursue and tame any terror related activities.
The team undergoes an extra vigorous training for them to qualify for the unit.
The team with others have managed to contain a number of terror activities in the area. At the weekend, they thwarted a plan by al Shabaab terrorists to cross to Kenya from Somalia for an attack.
A team deployed near the Liboi border shot and killed one suspect as others escaped.
Officials said a joint task force deployed along the border detected suspicious movement under cover of darkness. The specialised officers immediately mobilised and intercepted the group before they could cross into Kenya.
One suspect was killed on the spot.
The operation comes amid heightened concern over repeated cross-border terrorism threats.
On Friday, police repulsed a suspected probe attack on the Khorof Harar police station in Wajir County.
According to the police, the said incident happened on November 28, 2025 at night where gunmen lobbed three Rocket Propelled Grenades.
They also fired tracer bullets. Police said the gang believed to be al Shabaab militants had PKM rifles. After the shooting and thunderous blasts, the police officers at the station fired back as they took cover.
Police said the attackers escaped.
Police have been urging locals to cooperate with them to address the menace which has affected development at large.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre’s military regime, which ushered in more than two decades of anarchy and conflict in a country deeply divided along clan lines.