New details emerge on Bugiri Imam who was gunned down
Fresh details about the case of the murdered Bugiri Muslim cleric have indicated that the four suspects arrested are relatives to the deceased.
Sheikh Masudi Mutumba, 60, the Iman for Lwemba Mosque in Lwemba parish, Lwemba sub-county in Bugiri district was shot dead as he returned home from prayers at around 9:45 pm on Friday.
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On Saturday morning, Police confirmed the arrest of four suspects to help in investigations but according to a police source, the four are family members and related to the murdered Muslim cleric.
“There are three males and a female and are related to the Imam. There was a land wrangle between them and the deceased and it is expected this could have led to his death,” the source said.
According to the source, the land wrangle ended up in court and at the lower level, the deceased Imam won the case prompting the other family members to appeal against the court’s decision.
“The judgment of the appeal was expected on February 20th and it seems the other family members feared he (Imam) would floor them again.”
The source added that it is believed that one of the family members is a UPDF soldier who is on the run and is expected to have pulled the trigger on Friday evening.
He dismissed the claim that the murder was part of the recent spate of shooting targeting Muslim clerics in Eastern Uganda, adding that it is as a result of a land wrangle between family members.
When contacted for a comment on the matter, the Busoga East region police spokesperson, James Mubi refused to divulge more information regarding the suspects in custody.
“It is true we have four suspects and are currently detained at Bugiri Central Police Station but are not family members,” Mubi said.
Earlier, Mubi has confirmed that the deceased was shot by a single bullet targeted to his head and killed him instantly.
He noted that the hunt for the prime suspect by the joint security team has kicked off and noted they will work around the clock to bring him to book.
“An exhibit (cartridge) of an AK 47 riffle was recovered and has been submitted to our forensic experts to establish which gun was used in committing the crime.”
The gun fingerprinting exercise will greatly help in the arrest of the suspect since almost all guns all over the country were registered to get the unique fingerprints for each.
This measure like President Museveni said would greatly help reduce gun murders since criminals know that they will be easily apprehended by basing on the cartridges left behind after firing bullets.
