Government sued for re-arresting Kaweesi murder suspects

Lawyers representing the 22 people suspected of having masterminded the murder of former police spokesperson AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi have sued government for re-arresting some of their clients.

There were gruesome scenes on Tuesday when non uniformed security personnel re-arrested four of the suspects who had earlier been released on bail by Nakawa grade one Magistrate Noah Ssajjabi.

Lawyers representing the group led by Geoffrey Turyamusiima have however filed a petition at the civil division of the High Court requesting for orders to government to have four suspects: Umaru Maganda, Ahmed Ssenfuka, Ibrahim Kisa and Abdul Majid Ojegere produced in court .

“They have been taken and held in locations unknown to their relatives and family and thus being held incommunicado, illegally and unlawful by the agents of the respondent (government),”the lawyers argue in their aplication.

The lawyers also argue that the four people have since the re-arrest by security agencies not been produced before any courts of law or formally charged thus rendering their continued detention illegal.

“Their rights to personal liberty have been and continue to be violated without any lawful cause.”

In one incident on Tuesday, three shabbily dressed men brandishing  pistols jumped out of a vehicle before grabbing Ahmed Ssenfuka who was on a boda boda with his young brother at Spear Motors junction, along Jinja road.

There was a scuffle as he tried to fight off his tormentors to evade the arrest.

With the help of traffic police officers, the security operatives were able to handcuff Ssenfuka before bundling him into a waiting vehicle that took off to an unknown destination.

The lawyers through their application say that efforts to find out the whereabouts their clients have proved futile as no officer is willing to disclose such information.

The re-arrest of the Kaweesi murder suspects who had been released on bail has caused a public uproar over the manner in which they were arrested.

In a statement on Thursday, Uganda Law Society condemned the actions of security agents as lawlessness.

“We refuse to accept those illegal actions that undermine the independence of the judiciary and rule of law in Uganda,” said Uganda Law Society president, Francis Gimara,  in a statement on Thursday.

He demanded for a review of the incident and to hold individuals who were involved accountable.