On Wednesday morning, our reporter visited Nyanzi’s home and found four plain-clothed armed security operatives guarding the home. Some of the operatives wore Uganda Police Force jackets on top of their plainclothes with black headgears.
A team of operatives
suspected to be from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence-CMI spent the
better part of Wednesday searching the home of Sheikh Yusuf Nyanzi,
one of the suspects in the murder of former Police Spokesperson, Andrew Felix Kaweesi,
his bodyguards Kenneth Erau and driver, Godfrey Mambewa in March 2017. The operatives
stormed Nyanzi’s home in Kyanja Kisaasi in Nakawa Division, Kampala District on
Wednesday morning following his arrest on Tuesday morning for unknown reasons.
Nyanzi has been
out on bail following his release on September 11th 2019, by the then
International Crimes Division Judge, Lydia Mugambe. Nyanzi was first arrested in 2017 for the assassination
of Felix Kaweesi, his bodyguard Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Mambewa. He was
also charged with the murder of Major Muhammad Kiggundu and his bodyguard Sergeant
Steven Mukasa on November 26th, 2016.
He spent months on remand
until he applied for bail through his lawyers from Wameli and Company Advocates,
which was granted after numerous applications. Nyanzi has
been a free man until his re-arrest on Tuesday morning. His wife, Sumaya
Nyanzi, says that unidentified security operatives picked up her husband and sixteen-year-old
son, Abdul Rahim Yusuf Nyanzi in front of their home in Kyanja Kisaasi, a
Kampala city suburb around 9 am on Tuesday.
She said that the operatives, who
were driving in a white Noah vehicle, sped off to an unknown destination with the two. On Wednesday
morning, our reporter visited Nyanzi’s home and found four plain-clothed armed
security operatives guarding the home. Some of the operatives wore Uganda
Police Force jackets on top of their plainclothes with black headgears.
An unspecified
number of operatives was searching the house in the presence of Nyanzi who was
brought in a Toyota Hiace vehicle Registration number UAH 694N. Sulaiman
Mawejje Salongo, the LC I Chairperson Kyanja Central Zone who is also Nyanzi's
immediate neighbour also witnessed the search. The search started around 10 am
and ended almost at 2 pm.
According to Nyanzi's wife, they searched everywhere in
the house starting with the bedrooms up to the ceiling. She claims that they
left with her agreement for the sale of gold, simcards, passport and other
court documents belonging to Nyanzi.
Luganda Audio
//Cue in: “Aahh ….
Cue out: …bwebutyo”. //
Our reporter
has also learnt that the operatives led by Detective Inspector of Police
Mathias Nabeeta also took two other National Identification Cards registered in
the names of unspecified individuals they recovered from the house during the
search. As the search was going on, a motorcycle arrived with sixteen-year-old Abdul
Rahim, who was arrested together with his father.
He fled and hid in a nearby
mosque at Kyanja Muslim Primary School after seeing the Toyota Hiace in their
compound for fear of being re-arrested. The teenager
later told our reporter that he had seen the same vehicle at the Safe House
where he was taken after being separated from his father who told him that
incase he is taken back home, he should inform his mother that he is in the
hands of CMI operatives at the Special Investigations Department of Police in
Kireka.
Abdu Rahim, who complained of delayed completion of his Primary education
because of the repeated arrest of his father, said that he was only given a
single meal while in custody.
//Cue in:
“Nandibadde namala daa…
Cue out: …kyayi oba bugi”. //
The teenage
also revealed that he was badly pushed under the vehicle as he tried to raise
his head and had visible scratches on his right cheek. He also
claimed that he found man other people in the safe house where he spent a night
with rotten legs resulting from torture.
Abdu Rahim
says that in the morning, a police officer he couldn’t remember called him name
and directed a Boda boda rider to deliver him to Kyanja.
Upon arrival, Abdul
Rahim was seen giving the motorcyclist Shillings 10,000, which he later said
was given to him by the officer to pay for his transport. His family
says they are living in fear and want the government to release the family head
unconditionally.
//Cue in: “Tali munsoga ezo…
Cue out: …Subhana allah”.//
Nyanzi’s
arrest comes barely three weeks after a botched assassination of General
Katumba Wamala, the former Chief of Defense Forces-CDF. Katumba escaped with bullets lodged in his
body. However, his daughter, Brendah Nantogo and driver Haruna Kayondo were not
lucky and lost their lives in the attack.
Recently police claimed that the killers of the
two used the same gun used to kill Major Muhammad Kiggundu. Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, said there
was nothing to discuss Nyanzi’s re-arrest. “There is nothing much we can
discuss in details. I need to consult and find out if they have additional
investigations,” he said.
Nyanzi's lawyer,
Geoffrey Turyamusiima was surprised to hear about his re-arrest, saying that he
wasn't aware. He promised to follow up and decide their next course of action.
