 Due to Abdi Qays's techniques and methods in his songwriting and poetry to convey a political message against the Siad Barre regime, he served a total of 12 years in prison.He served this all over Somalia, approximately from the year 1976 to 1982, then 1984 to 1988.During his peak, he spent a lot of time in Djibouti to avoid fame and also prison time.