Police foil plot to kill 3 clerics

Police have arrested four people, among them three ex-members of Universal Apostles Fellowship Church of Righteousness (UAFCR), on allegations of plotting to kidnap and kill faith leaders in a suspected leadership wrangle.
The suspects are detained at Jinja Central Police Station. Detectives alleged that those targeted to be eliminated included UAFCR leader Fred Isanga, known by the alias Prophet David Isanga, church director Paddy Oboth and the treasurer, Mr Godfrey Mugalya.

The first suspect, the alleged coordinator of the scheme, was arrested when he had gone to attend a one-day national UAFCR convention on Saturday in Jinja District.
The convention was attended by several dignitaries including the State Minister for Bunyoro Affairs, Ms Jennifer Namuyangu.
Mr James Mubi, the Kiira Police Region spokesman, said the plot coordinator led them to three others, including the prime suspect.
“We have retrieved evidence like WhatsApp messages and mobile money transfers that each suspect was sending the other in a plot to carry out the murder and how they would get away from the crime scene,” he said.

Mr Mubi added: “In the messages, some of the suspects also talked about hiring another person who would carry out the killing or kidnap of the three leaders. The other evidence is in the four suspects’ recorded statements.”
We were unable to independently verify the claims without access to the accused who are in pre-court detention.
It remained unclear when police would arraign them in court, if they will, but Uganda’s Constitution stipulates that police can hold a suspect for a maximum of 48 hours and be released on bond, if not formally charged.
Police said they are preferring murder and kidnap charges against the quartet. Investigators have retrieved no firearm or other killer tool from any of the suspects.

Spokesperson Mubi said the motive of the suspects isn’t yet known, but details in the suspects’ plan was to attack the three victims at the church last Saturday.
Police said they briefed Minister Namuyangu about the incident, but they insist she was not the target.
Universal Apostles Fellowship Church of Righteousness, a Pentecostal church, was established in 1963. In 2013, its new leaders led by Mr Isanga reportedly disagreed with the surviving church founder on issues of biblical doctrines.
Since then, the leadership wrangle in the Church has not ceased and at one time the new leaders were dragged to court by some of their members for occupying the positions illegally.

In the Saturday incident, the police said they did not recover any killer weapon with the suspects at the scene, but the search is still ongoing.
According to investigations, the suspects, the suspected hit man, mission owner and the coordinator, have been meeting in Mukono District for a while.
A source said last Thursday at 4:49pm the mission owner sent the coordinator Shs315,000 as facilitation using mobile money. The coordinator, who is a resident of Mutungo, Nakawa Division in Kampala City, also paid Shs100,000 to one of his suspected accomplices.

We are withholding identities of the suspects with our editorial policy, pending their appearance in court.
Police’s Mubi said a search for other people, who could have been part of the ploy is ongoing.
According to a police report, the crime intelligence directorate got information about the incident and a plan to foil it was hatched.
“Our officers deployed well at the convention [venue in Jinja]. When the coordinator entered the premises, we arrested him and seized his mobile phone before the interrogation,” he said.

The first suspect led detectives to the second suspect, who had been deployed near a petrol station in Jinja City to spy on the movement of the three church leaders and security detail.
“We used the coordinator to summon his spy. The spy came and we also arrested him,” he said.
The suspected mission spy was also used to call the third suspect and detectives were able to find him at another petrol station in Jinja City.

The third suspect had sent a message to a fourth person, whom the detectives allege is the prime suspect, seeking his help to find them a house where they would stay after carrying out the offence, according to the police.
The messages have been retrieved, printed and attached in the case file, which is to be forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal opinion on whether the evidence available is sufficient to progress the accused to court.
The detectives, using the third suspect, reached out to the suspected prime suspect, who stays in Kampala, and they were able to locate him. Detectives arrested him.
Daily Monitor was unable to talk to the four suspects or their legal representatives to get their side of the story.

Targets say
Mr Oboth, whom the police said he is one of the people targeted, told this publication by telephone that three of the detainees are known to him and they were former church members.
“There was a long-standing leadership wrangle and they left the church. They expected the church to fail. We didn’t fail, but continued with the gospel and even built more churches. I suspect that could be the motive of their plan,” he said.
Mr Oboth said they have recorded statements to the police.