Appearing on Tuesday before Grade One Magistrate Abdallah Kayiza in Masaka, Mutwe, who was in tears, narrated harrowing conditions he endured while in military custody.
Edward Ssebufu Alias Eddie Mutwe appearing before Masaka Grade One Magistrates Court, He was eventually committed to High Court to face trial on charges of Robbery and Assault
There were emotional scenes as Edward Ssebuufu, popularly known as Eddie Mutwe, the Head of
Security for NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, appeared at Masaka High Court.
Mutwe on Tuesday was produced before Masaka Grade One Magistrate's Court presided over by
Abdallah Kayiza, for further mention of charges preferred against him by the
state.
On May 20th, he was presented before the same court where he was charged with aggravated
robbery, four courts of simple robbery, and assaults occasioning actual bodily
harm.
Ssebuufu was produced before the court almost a week after he was
reportedly abducted by security operatives from Mukono district and was held
incommunicado.
Dressed
in a black short-sleeved t-shirt and wrapped a shawl around his neck, Ssebuufu, who looked visibly shaken and was shivering, displayed to the court scars of healing wounds, he says, that are
a result of the torture he endured while in military detention. As he narrated his ordeal, his mother, wife and other NUP supporters broke down in tears.
He came to court
walking with the support of crutches, and as soon as he settled in the
suspects' dock, he raised his two arms to display torture marks visible all
over his arms.
Before his
lawyers, led by Samuel Muyizi and Magellan Kazibwe settled down to receive
updates on the progress of investigations, Ssebufu sought the magistrate to
allow him to express the miserable experiences he underwent.
He told the Magistrate that daily, he swallows 12
painkillers to relieve himself of the pain, pleading with the court to find
justification for ordering that he be allowed specialised medical
attention.
"I have a lot of pain, I
urgently need serious medical attention because my situation has been worsening, and the Masaka prison authorities have since failed to manage it," he noted.
Ssebuufu is charged alongside three other members of
Kyagulanyi's security team, who have also been on remand since November last
year. The others are Achilleo Kivumbi, Mugumya Gadafi and Grace
Wakabi, who were arrested in relation to a scuffle that ensued at Mmanja
Village, Kissekka Sub-county in Lwengo district in May last year.
They are accused of assaulting and robbing mourners who
including two female journalists who were covering the burial, which was overshadowed
by politics
The trio with whom Ssebuufu is charged were in March, committed
to the High Court to face trial.
Meanwhile, Ssebuufu's
lawyer, Samuel Muyizzi, also requested the court to issue an order that his
client get specialised treatment, as well as to defer his trial until he
regains his full health.
However, the request was rejected by Moses Wasereka, the State Attorney, indicating that investigations in the matters are complete and
were ready to proceed with prosecution.
The Magistrate ruled that because the investigations were
complete, it was proper that Ssebuufu be committed for trial before the High Court.
"Since the committal papers are ready, this court finds it proper to send
the accused person to the High Court. You can proceed and make your prayers
before that court when you appear," he indicated in the ruling.
The Magistrate also instructed the Masaka Prison authorities
to transfer Ssebuufu to Manchson Bay prison facility, where he can get the
requested medical attention.
Muyizi said that they are going to
proceed to the High Court to challenge Ssebuufu’s trial before he receives specialised
medical attention, outside the prison facilities.
