A Kenyan policeman abducted in mid-January by suspected armed militiamen from Ethiopia Sunday narrated his ordeal at the hands of his captors.

Duracha Halake Dida, who said he was taken captive when the gunmen ambushed a border patrol in Moyale killing eight of his colleagues, said he was held in custody for 16 days before being released.

He said he was locked up in an airless room and repeatedly questioned for any links with the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which is opposed to the Addis Ababa government.

Dida said before releasing him, his abductors forced him to sign a statement declaring that he and his slain colleagues were in Ethiopian territory during the incident.

The incident that took place three weeks ago at Kitilipe area in Moyale (Kenya) Urban division, almost caused a diplomatic row between Nairobi and Addis Ababa.

Politicians from northern Kenya demanded the immediate closure of the Ethiopian Embassy in Nairobi, and the immediate release of the abducted policeman.

Local legislator Guracha Galgalo called on the Ethiopian government to compensate those reportedly killed during the incident.

Meanwhile, Provincial Administrator Philomena Koech Saturday toured Moyale and advised residents to remain calm, adding that Kenyan authorities were seeking solutions to the problem of cross border raids by suspected Ethiopian militiamen.