The National Unity Platform (NUP) has raised alarm over the alleged abduction and continued detention of two of its supporters by security operatives, demanding their immediate release.
In a statement, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, said that Micheal Mpalanyi, a party member, was "violently whisked away" by armed men driving a white Toyota drone on March 18, 2025, in Matugga.
According to Kyagulanyi, the abductors later abandoned Mpalanyi’s motorcycle at Matugga Police Station before disappearing with him.
“To date, his whereabouts remain unknown, although we're told he is under CMI [Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence] custody,” the statement read.
“We demand for his immediate freedom. Supporting the National Unity Platform is not a crime,"he added.
Kyagulanyi also cited the case of Shakur Ssentongo, who he said was abducted earlier in March and is still in detention under CMI or the Directorate of Internal Security (DIS).
He alleged that Ssentongo was "severely tortured" during custody, with eyewitnesses claiming he was beaten so badly that he could no longer stand.
NUP has long accused the government of targeting its supporters through illegal arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture.
The party has used the hashtag #FreeAllPoliticalPrisonersinUganda to push for the release of all persons it claims are detained for political reasons.
Security agencies have in the past denied accusations of abductions, insisting that all arrests are carried out within the law.
Human rights organizations have previously documented cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions in Uganda, particularly around electoral periods and opposition-led protests.
NUP has called on the international community and human rights defenders to increase pressure on the Ugandan government to respect civil liberties and stop what it calls state-sponsored abductions.
