Information Minister, Frank Tumwebaze has called for an investigation by Police into the brutal assault against an unidentified man by armed security personnel in Kampala.
This follows a shocking video clip that was widely circulated on social media on Thursday in which a man is seen being tortured by plain clothed men believed to be security personnel.
This video footage captured by Record TV shows gun wielding men capturing, battering and abducting a man in Kampala’s central business district.
The incident, according to Record TV, happened on Thursday at the junction between Colville Street and Portal Avenue adjacent to Theatre Labonita and Christ The King Church at around 01:20pm.
“Stunned crowds looked on as the burly men tortured their victim into submission before tossing him into a waiting PSV Matatu Reg. No. UAF 325S,” reported Record TV.
One of the armed men (four in number) is seen hitting the victim’s back with a gun and later hitting his pelvis with a gun butt. The victim is heard pleading with them, but his assaulters continue to beat him and forcefully drag him into a taxi (minibus) before he is whisked off.
“The @PoliceUg should investigate them,” Tumwebaze tweeted on Friday.
He was responding to a tweet in which he and the government spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo were accused of lying and twisting things to cover up for President Museveni.
“Anybody acting illegally should be dealt with in accordance with the law. For your information, some of us are suspicious of such if they aren’t schemes of anti-govt plotters to tarnish the name of NRM,” the Minister added.
He demanded that Police chief, Okoth Ochola investigates and reveals who the armed men were.
IGP has on several occasions expressed himself against torture of arrests. Months ago, he issued guidelines stipulating rights of suspects and how police officers must carry out arrests, including identifying themselves.
Read More: IGP Issues Fresh Guidelines on Arrests, Treatment of Suspects
In a separate tweet, Ofwono Opondo said: “Investigations are underway to establish who and from which security agency if at all they belong to government”.
Thursday’s incident comes slightly over a month after Uganda was in global spotlight following the accusations by opposition politician, Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) that the military had tortured him during his arrest and in detention.
Bobi Wine had been in Arua district to campaign for an opposition candidate during a by-election when he and other MPs together with civilians were arrested.
At the same time, Uganda has in recent months witnessed incidents of arbitrary arrests where people are ‘arrested’ by unidentified people only for security agencies to deny knowledge of their whereabouts, but later admit.
