Missing Busia prison warder found dead
What you need to know:
- Mr Abas Ssebulime, a relative, claimed the body did not have any signs of drowning, fueling suspicion that he could have been murdered and pushed into the sewage pit to cover up the crime.
A Police inquest is underway in Busia District for a prison warder whose body was recovered in an open sewage pit at Masafu government prison, where the deceased was attached.
The body of 25-year-old Daniel Lubega from Nakasongola District, who went missing last Saturday, was on Monday discovered following a frantic search.
The Bukedi region Police Spokesperson, Mr Moses Mugwe, said on the day Mr Lubega disappeared, he had been on duty and was discovered missing after he failed to handover after his shift.
“It’s true one of the prison warders was found dead inside a sewage pit in the compound of the Masafu Prison,” Mr Mugwe said, adding that detectives from Busia Police Station, joined their counterparts in the fire and rescue services, and retrieved his body and rifle.
He added: “His body has been taken to Masafu hospital for a postmortem; but as of now, we can’t ascertain if he committed suicide or if there was foul play.”
Mr Abas Ssebulime, a relative, claimed the body did not have any signs of drowning, fueling suspicion that he could have been murdered and pushed into the sewage pit to cover up the crime.
He added that the body, at the time of retrieval, had cuts on the face and around the neck, wondering if they were defensive wounds sustained.
Mr Jimmy Galande, a resident, said he first saw the warders mounting a search around the prison premises, only to learn that they were looking for their colleagues who had gone missing.
Ms Phiona Nakamera, the widow, said she last spoke to her husband on Saturday at around 6pm when he sent her transport to visit him in Busia, after which his phone went off.
Nakamera said she was later surprised when her husband’s colleagues rang her to relay news that he had gone missing from the prison premises.
Drama, however, ensued when prison authorities started chasing away onlookers and barred journalists from capturing footage of proceedings.
Mr Ahmada Ssenyonga, one of the deceased’s relatives, said their behaviour “raised a lot of suspicion”.
