Two unidentified gunmen shot Liban, a correspondent for Kalsan TV, near his home in the Wajadir village area, north Galkayo, in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, local journalists told CPJ. The gunmen fled before police arrived.
Liban, who was also known as "Liban Qaran" died before reaching a local hospital, the same colleagues told CPJ. He is survived by a wife and five children.
An energetic reporter with vast experience in the field, Liban had previously worked for Radio SBC (Somali Broadcasting Corporation), Radio Daljir, Codka Nabadda ("Voice of Peace"), and Royal Television.
Local journalists said they suspected Liban had been targeted for his reporting on the council elections. The vote was originally scheduled for mid-July 2013, but was postponed for security concerns, according to news reports.
Local journalists told CPJ that Ahmed Mohamed Ali, another Puntland-based journalist and Liban's former colleague at Codka Nabada in Galkayo, had received threatening phone calls in late July after he reported on Liban's death. The caller told Ahmed that he would befall the "same fate as Liban Abdullahi," the journalists told CPJ.