Reflections on the plight of Omar Risasi Amabua

Events in Uganda never cease to amaze and amuse, often in equal measure. Every now and then one comes across incredible stories in Ugandan media which make one shed tears or laugh, or do both.
My attention was recently drawn to one such a story by a friend who has a knack for spotting the absurd and ridiculous. The story titled ‘70-year-old arrested over stoning of Museveni’s car’ was published in Daily Monitor of June 20.

According to the story, Mr Omar Risasi Amabua, aka Ciruson, who is in the evening of his life (more than 70 years old) was arrested on June 18 at Arua Municipality by police over wild allegations that he stoned a car belonging to State House and smashed the hind door glass of the vehicle.

Almost one year after the alleged incident happened on August 13, 2018, Amabua, who has been living quietly at Arua for many years, was summoned by police on June 18 to record a statement. He was transferred to Gulu on June 19 and promptly charged with treason, of all things. Mzee Amabua is a sickly man who suffers, inter alia, from diabetes and was admitted to Arua Regional Referral Hospital a few days before his arrest.

It is mindboggling, cynical and laughable to say the least, and makes one wonder how low the regime will sink into the abyss of moral decadence! By the way, Amabua in Lugbara means, “we are in the grave”, which is quite telling in the prevailing circumstances.
The West Nile Regional Police Commander, Mr Christopher Barugahare, told Daily Monitor that “we arrested him (Amabua) because he was implicated in last year’s fracas where the President’s car was stoned” and this happened on the last day of campaigns for last year’s Arua Municipality parliamentary by-election.

The seat fell vacant after the murder of Ibrahim Abiriga, a diehard member of NRM, who was gunned down in broad daylight at Kawanda, Wakiso District, on June 8, 2018. No arrest has so far been made by security agents in connection with this cold-blooded murder.

Why arrest and charge Amabua?
Amabua’s arrest by the police has raised many troubling questions and opened an old wound in Arua and, I believe, in West Nile sub-region. When I first heard of his arrest on a local FM radio, I feared that police had arrested former Arua District LC5 chairperson Donato Amabua, who is also sickly.

Knowledgeable and credible people I have talked to in Arua are disgusted, offended and shocked by Amabua’s arrest which they believe is persecution of a harmless old man who does not deserve to be harassed by anybody, let alone State security agents who are employed by taxpayers to protect all Ugandans.

Mr Kassiano Wadri, incumbent MP of Arua Municipality, has expressed strong views on the matter. He told Daily Monitor that, “the arrest of mzee (Amabua) is madness and total witch-hunt” and according to him, Amabua, who was assigned to protect the podium and seats arranged for his last rally, is being victimised for the role he played in the MP’s campaign.

As for me, I have only three weapons at my disposal to deal with such difficult challenges and they are prayer, ideas and my pen which bazungu say is mightier than the sword. Many Africans, however, doubt this saying and wrongly believe that the gun, especially the AK-47, is mightier than the pen.

Against this background, I would like to propose that Tuesday, August 13, be observed as a day of prayer for all victims of the tragedy which befell Arua on that dark day last year, especially the 37 suspects who are on trial for treason at Gulu.

I request all men and women of goodwill to pray to God and humbly ask the Lord to rescue Ugandans from oppression, nepotism, impunity, tyranny and violence. I tell you, the truth will one day emerge and it will set Uganda free. May the Lord have mercy!

Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
[email protected]