Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thriller surrounds the arrest and detention of 9 counter-terrorism police officers who were connected to National Team spirit Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, for the length of the closing elections.
Bobi Wine and Forum for Democratic Alternate (FDC) candidate James Nathaniel Nandala Mafabi were regarded as high-possibility candidates, and each used to be assigned 16 highly knowledgeable counter-terrorism police officers for his or her security.
Sources ascertain that 9 of Bobi Wine’s 16 bodyguards maintain since been arrested and charged sooner than the police disciplinary tribunal below the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, currently headed by Assistant Inspector Favorite of Police (AIGP) David Ssengendo Waswa.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kituuma Rusoke acknowledged he had not obtained a briefing relating to the developments.
Efforts to catch an tremendous commentary from the Inspector Favorite of Police (IGP) Abas Byakagaba and the police Director of Operations, AIGP Frank Mwesigwa, were unsuccessful.
In step with sources mindful of the court docket cases, all 16 bodyguards were summoned to the Expert Requirements Unit (PSU), where they were interviewed by the commandant, Senior Commissioner of Police (SCP) Christine Nanding.
Every officer used to be reportedly questioned for at the least an hour. Handiest 9 were therefore arrested and transferred to the Railway Police.
The officers had been drawn from three key devices below the Counter-Terrorism Directorate: the Tactical Unit, known for urban counter-terrorism operations; the Very Predominant Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU); and the Wanted Installations Protection Unit (VIPU).
5 of the 9 officers were charged at the counter-terrorism headquarters in Naguru, whereas four others were charged at the VIPPU headquarters at Nsambya Police Barracks.
They face allegations of insubordination and sinful behavior linked to their interplay with Bobi Wine for the length of the elections, even supposing the specifics of these allegations remain unclear.
The first five officers charged in Naguru are acknowledged as Jeff Okadan, John Osike, Joshua Kigenyi, Emma Luzire, and their commander, Abangira.
They were reportedly charged on Wednesday, whereas the opposite four were charged on Thursday at Nsambya.
A senior police supply defined that PSU has empowered devices, divisions, and areas to behavior disciplinary tribunals inside of their jurisdictions, weeding out the necessity for officers to shuttle to Naguru for every hearing.
This explains why some were charged in Naguru and others at Nsambya. It remains unclear why completely 9 of the 16 bodyguards were charged, and no tremendous commentary has been equipped relating to the arrests or the personality of the alleged misconduct.
Other accounts point to the guards assigned to Bobi are being questioned about how he escaped from his dwelling whereas they were nonetheless deployed below him.
These styles of concerns were raised as the police leadership regarded sooner than Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee
Kyagulanyi Responds through Social Media
Reacting to the arrests, Kyagulanyi, who has been in hiding since mid-January, posted on X (beforehand Twitter) that: “The criminal regime the day old to this paraded sooner than the Police Court, 9 of the police officers who were assigned to our marketing campaign! They were all brushed other than the Uganda Police Power with disgrace. Their crime? ‘Neglect of Accountability’.
“The criminal regime claims that they assisted me in escaping from my net dwelling. Crazy! And but, in point of fact, these legit police officers were withdrawn on 15th January, which used to be election day. By the time I left my dwelling on the 16th, when the defense pressure raided, they were not on responsibility.”
He added, “However now, they’re being hounded, persecuted, and punished because the regime can’t are residing with the embarrassment of not being in a position to find me for two months. They’re having a probe for anyone responsible.”
Kyagulanyi extra acknowledged: “In any event, these officers were deployed to guard me and to not investigate cross-test on me. However that is what Museveni has grew to turn out to be all institutions into! He expects them to invent everything illegal, criminal, or uncertain to retain his criminal endeavor.”
He alleged, “Picking to act professionally has landed very many civil servants in effort. We realize that as well to being brushed apart, officer Kigenyi and but another were taken relief to detention at the police space at the Railway grounds and are nonetheless being interrogated! … For now, we stand in team spirit with these officers, who, esteem many other Ugandans, maintain needed to taste the wrath of a determined regime in its evening.”
****
URN
