Overnight Abduction of Bobi Wine
The Ugandan police have firmly rejected claims that opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, was kidnapped and taken to an undisclosed location.
They stated that the rumors spreading on social media are nothing but “deceitful and misleading allegations” aimed at portraying Uganda’s security forces as harsh and violators of a political candidate’s rights.
Addressing the media, a police spokesperson stated, “I would like to issue a statement on behalf of Uganda Police Force in respect to allegations that are making rounds on some media spaces, and they have also found their way to other communities that have access to social media platforms, especially outside our jurisdiction.”
“The allegations are being made that Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, who is a presidential candidate, has been arrested and taken to an unknown location. Some of these allegations are being paraded by his family members.”
He dismissed the claims as ‘untrue and unfounded,’ adding that they were designed to portray Uganda’s security agencies in a negative light.
The police statement follows a shocking announcement from Bobi Wine’s political party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), which revealed on Friday that the opposition presidential candidate had been forcibly taken from his home and whisked away to an unknown location in an army helicopter.
This news broke just a day after Ugandans participated in a tense election, which was marred by an internet blackout.
Earlier, on January 16, the NUP reported that military and police forces had surrounded Kyagulanyi’s home, effectively trapping him and his wife within their own property.
“Regime security operatives deployed at the residence of President Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert have deliberately cut off electricity supply to the home and destroyed the electric fence along the perimeter. President Bobi Wine’s private security guards have been assaulted despite having committed no offense. With the residence now under complete darkness, these operatives are attempting to forcibly break into the house, raising grave concerns about their intentions,” the party stated in a social media post.
The party accused security officers of unlawfully leaping over the perimeter fence and setting up tents inside the compound, which limited the presidential candidate’s ability to move and communicate.
On election day, Wine voiced several serious concerns regarding the electoral process, claiming there were widespread violations such as a total internet blackout, rampant ballot stuffing, the kidnapping of polling officials, and consistent failures of voting machines throughout the country.
“The world needs to know what is happening in Uganda on election day. The Internet is switched off. Massive ballot stuffing reported everywhere,” Wine stated on Thursday.
Overnight Abduction of Bobi Wine
