I was blindfolded for four months, says detained journalist Bakka

Veteran journalist, Rev Isaac Bakka was allegedly blindfolded from his first day of abduction until Wednesday last week when he was taken to Kireka Police Station.

According to Bakka, 68, who is currently being held in Luzira Upper Prison, he was taken by three police officers to Kireka Police Station who informed him that they had received him from Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).

He recounts that from Kireka, he was immediately driven to Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court where he was charged with treason and misprision of treason, late in the afternoon.

"At the court, the Chief Magistrate whom I don't know told me that I was now in the right place and asked me to inform my people because there had been reports that I was missing," Bakka told this reporter who paid him a visit at Luzira Upper Prison on Monday.

He further revealed that the Chief Magistrate asked him not to comment on the charges brought against him because they can only be tried by a higher court. Bakka says that he is to be returned to the Nakawa Chief Magistrate's Court on February 27, 2018.

This reporter has since learnt that Bakka appeared before Chief Magistrate Jameson Karemani.
Last week, the Spokesperson of Uganda Prisons Service, Mr Frank Baine, confirmed that they received Bakka on February 14 and were holding him on charges of treason and misprision of treason.

Misprision of treason is an offence, committed where someone conceals knowledge of the mission of any treason against the state. It attracts a life sentence upon conviction.

Clause 25 of the Penal Code Act stipulates that any person who knowing that any person intends to commit treason does not give information thereof with all reasonable dispatch to the Minister, an administrative officer, a magistrate or an officer in charge of a police station, or use all reasonable endeavors to prevent the commission of the offence of treason, commits the offence of misprision of treason and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.

Bakka's presence at Luzira was disclosed a day after Obongi County MP, Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, together with other MPs tasked government to explain the whereabouts of the journalist who was reported missing in October.

Isaac Bakka's abduction
During the visit to Luzira Upper Prison on Monday, the veteran journalist attached to Bornfree Technologies Network (BTN Television), a television broadcaster based in Arua, West Nile, narrated to this reporter that he was abducted from Seeta alongside the road as he walked back to his home. That was on October 9, 2017
"A Noah car stopped and three armed plain clothed men jumped out, grabbed, threw me inside and immediately blindfolded me and drove off to a destination I don't know. I had never seen day light until last week while at Kireka Police." he recounted.

Bakka narrates ordeal at unknown location
In a house whose location he does not know, Bakka slept on the floor since his abduction, and was served porridge with no sugar as well as posho and beans with no salt. He could get these daily with his blind-fold on.

Bakka told this reporter that in the house, he was guarded by an armed person who could not allow him touch the blind-fold on his eyes.
"I could ease myself in a bucket that was provided in the room and to find it I could always crawl in search for it," he painfully narrated.

Asked whether he was physically tortured, Bakka denied any form of torture while in the safe house and any form of interrogation. He, however, revealed that he was directed by the armed men to accept that he had committed treason.

"Besides the directives to accept the treason charges, I got malaria while in the safe house and I was only given Panadol with the men telling me to swallow it or leave it and die." he recounted.

Sigh of Relief
The veteran journalist said that he was now happy being at Luzira Upper Prison, describing his situation as 'Safe'. He said that it's at Luzira that he has tasted sugar and salt.

Bakka said that he is strong and not scared since he has always supported peace and tranquility. He dismissed the treason charges saying he was not aware of any treason offence committed by him.

Bakka also said that he does not know the other people with whom he is being charged.
The Judiciary Spokesperson, Solomon Muyita, recently confirmed in media reports that the veteran journalist was arrested for allegedly being involved in the procurement of arms to overthrow the government.

"On the charge sheet, they were four people charged with treason and misprision of treason. They say these people were procuring arms and other materials they intended to use to over throw the government and they conducted the acts in Kampala, Jinja and outside Uganda between January 2017 and January 2018," Muyita told NTV.