LDUs in the spotlight again for assaulting Mityana LC5 chairman

The UPDF has launched investigations into circumstances under which Local Defence Unit personnel assaulted Mityana LC5 chairman, Joseph Luzige on Tuesday evening.

In a video recorded using a phone, a group of four LDU personnel is seen shoving the Mityana district LC5 chairman as he tried to explain something to them.

In the recording, the men armed with both guns and sticks are seen walking away with Luzige as locals gathered to watch what was happening.

According to Luzige, the incident happened in Mityana town as he tried to save a woman who was being beaten by the LDU personnel who were enforcing presidential directives on Coronavirus.

“I was going to hospital and found them beating a woman who had fallen down and was bleeding profusely.  When I asked them to arrest, instead of beating people, one of the officers who was drunk started pushing me,”Luzige said.

The Mityana district LC5 chairperson said he had in the past heard reports of LDU personnel torturing locals in Mityana but noted that he has also faced their wrath.

“I am going to complain over this. When I asked them to stop beating people, they told me I cannot give them orders on what to do. In many areas, security is implementing presidential directives on Coronavirus but in Mityana it is too much.”

When contacted for a comment, the UPDF spokesperson, Brig.Richard Karemire said the officers involved would be punished.

“I have just spoken to Mr Luzige and have expressed our surprise and condemned strongly such act against our civilian leader. The perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted. No doubt about that,”Karemire told the Nile Post

Background

The development comes barely a day  after the division court martial in Oyam district sentenced a Local Defence Unit personnel to life imprisonment for beating a 65 year old man to death while implementing the presidential directives on Coronavirus.

Local Defence Unit personnel have in several parts of the country been accused of assaulting and torturing members of the public.

The army has always insisted that it does not condone such brutal acts of individual officers, adding that discipline is one of its core values and whoever deviates from it is punished.