Reports have emerged of the alleged violent abduction of Noah Mutwe, a key political activist and member of the National Unity Platform (NUP), intensifying concern over a growing wave of targeted attacks against opposition figures in Uganda.
According to an update shared by NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, unknown operatives stormed Gombe in a numberless double-cabin vehicle and forcefully took Mutwe into custody without offering any explanation or identifying themselves.
“They came like thugs, travelling in a numberless double-cabin vehicle,” Kyagulanyi wrote in a post on X.
“They first picked Noah Mutwe's uncle and put him on handcuffs before ordering him to take them to comrade Noah Mutwe's home in Gombe. They violently abducted him and took him away. His whereabouts are not known.
"They're committing all these crimes against our people to instill fear in us and the entire population. But they're giving us more reason to fight for a better country.”
The abduction of Noah Mutwe comes just weeks after the high-profile seizure and alleged torture of Eddie Mutwe, Bobi Wine’s chief bodyguard and a prominent NUP figure.
Eddie was reportedly picked up near Kampala on April 27 by unidentified armed men.
Days later, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba—son of President Museveni—claimed in a series of social media posts that he was holding Mutwe in his own basement.
He described in disturbing detail how he beat the opposition activist and forcibly shaved his head, and warned of further action against other government critics.
The Uganda Human Rights Commission condemned Eddie Mutwe’s abduction and ordered his immediate release, declaring the detention unlawful and a violation of constitutional rights.
When Mutwe eventually appeared in court on robbery charges, he showed visible signs of physical abuse, a fact acknowledged by Uganda’s Justice Minister Norbert Mao.
“These cases of violent abductions and blatant disregard for the rule of law are not only unlawful but a threat to the foundations of our democracy,” Bobi Wine said in response to the pattern of targeted repression.
“Noah Mutwe’s abduction is the latest in a series of attacks meant to silence our movement.”
The NUP leader has consistently criticised the silence of the international community, warning that continued inaction only emboldens authoritarian tendencies in Kampala.
“The international community must take a firmer stance. Human rights cannot be sacrificed for diplomacy,” he said during a recent press engagement.
No formal statement has yet been issued by police or military authorities regarding Noah Mutwe’s arrest or whereabouts.
Meanwhile, rights groups and civil society actors continue to raise alarms over the increasing use of abductions, secret detentions, and torture as tools of political suppression in Uganda.
As the 2026 general elections draw closer, opposition parties say they are bracing for more intimidation and harassment.
Noah Mutwe’s disappearance has only deepened fears within the NUP and among political observers that the country may be sliding further away from constitutional order.