Gun used to kill Bugiri Imam had earlier been robbed from a security guard

New details have emerged detailing the circumstances under which the Bugiri cleric, Sheikh Masudi Mutumba was killed last week.

Sheikh Masudi Mutumba, 60, the Iman for Iwemba Mosque in Iwemba parish, Iwemba sub-county in Bugiri district was shot dead as he returned home from prayers at around 9:45 pm on Friday.

On Wednesday morning, Flying Squad operatives arrested the prime suspect who pulled the trigger in Kampala as he boarded a taxi to Kamuli, allegedly to carry out another mission.

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga confirmed the arrest of Abiyasad Mugoya.

“The team has managed to track down and arrest the suspect identified as Abiyasad Mugoya who is a supervisor for a security company identified as SGA,”Enanga said in a statement.

He said that upon further interrogation, he admitted to having hidden the gun in Rubaga where it was recovered.

“This was a gun that had been reported as stolen by one of the private guards on Friday, 14 at around midday, nine hours before the shooting.”

Police also confirmed impounding he vehicle, a Toyota Ipsum that was used to transport the assailants from Kampala to Bugiri to carry out the mission.

Well planned

Earlier, Enanga had said that preliminary investigations indicated that Sheikh Mutumba was killed due to a land wrangle he had with one Suleiman Kouta from Busimba village and that the deceased had won a civil suit in Bugiri high court, prompting the other side to appeal in a higher court but decided to eliminate him for fear of losing the appeal.

He had also noted that the perpetrators had held a meeting in their home and planned the murder well in advance before hiring a boda boda rider who transported the gunman and another to the scene where the Muslim cleric was shot dead as he returned home at night.

“This is a premeditated and straight forward case of murder, with personal conflict due to land wrangles, as the motivation. The task team is now focusing on the facts and physical evidence, to clearly bring out the roles played by each of the suspects,”Enanga said.

He noted that the Inspector General of Police, John Martins Okoth Ochola has applauded the task team that ensured the suspects are apprehended.