Army says re-arrest of Kaweesi suspects was a “joint operation”

The UPDF spokesperson Brig.Richard Karemire has said that the army was aware of the rearrest of some of the suspects accused of murdering Andrew Felix Kaweesi, the former police spokesperson.

Earlier police spokesperson AIGP Asan Kasingye had told this website that he was not aware of those who had orchestrated the arrest and their motive.

“We shall find out who did it and why. We will let you know,”Kasingye told the Nile Post earlier.

Two of the suspects were re-arrested minutes after they had been granted bail by the Nakawa magistrate’s court on Tuesday afternoon.

Men brandishing pistols were seen forcing the suspects into waiting vehicles at the Spear Motors junction in Nakawa.

Karemire said the re-arrest was a joint operation carried out by a number of security agencies.

“It was a joint operation by security agencies and we arrested him(Ahmed Ssenfuka) over cases that are being investigated,” Brig. Karemire told us in a telephone interview.

Geoffrey Turyamusiima, the lawyer of the suspects, told The Nile Post that those who were re-arrested are four.

They are: Umaru Maganda, Majid Ojegere, Ahmed Ssefuka and Abdul Kisa.

The suspects’ lawyers said that only Umaru Maganda is detained at Kireka, revealing that others have been taken to unknown detention centres.

“We are drafting a document demanding for the release of our clients and also write to court to officially inform it of the rearrests of the people it had released,” Turyamusiima said.

In a scene that could have been taken out of an action movie, the plain clothes operatives first trailed the suspects from the court premises before pouncing on them.

One of them pointed a gun at Ahmed Senfuka before he was forcefully bundled into a car.

A scuffle then ensued as people gathered pleading with the security operatives to leave the suspects alone.

However when asked about whether it is allowed for anyone without uniform to carry out any arrest, Karemire said it is legal as long as it is done by security officers.

On identifying oneself before the arrest, Karemire said: “It depends on the circumstances.”

The chaotic arrests will raise concerns about the safety of Ugandans and whether the same situation cannot be exploited by wrong elements to arrest members of the public.