Terror suspect remanded to Luzira prison after a year in CMI detention
Terror suspect Saheed Nsubuga (right) and his co-accused apearing in the docket at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate's Court on May 17, 2022. PHOTO/ URN
A suspect who has been under detention at the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) for a year has been remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Saheed Nsubuga also known as Derrick, a fishmonger and a resident of Kiyindi village in Busimbi Sub County in Mityana District was on Tuesday arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court presided over by Dr Douglas Singiza.
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Nsubuga appeared in Court together with two other suspects; Rashid Turimukabi, a butcher and Ali Bigere, both residents of Busia Municipality in Busia District.
Court heard that Nsubuga together with his co-accused and others still at large between 2013 and 2022 in the various areas of Uganda professed or belonged to ADF.
Shortly after the charges were read, Nsubuga who appeared in court limping and with visible wounds claimed that he had been tortured while in detention at the CMI.
Nsubuga said he was kidnapped in July 2021 and since then, he had never been arraigned in to court. However, Singiza told Nsubuga that he will raise his concerns in the next session when the prosecutors are present.
According to the Chief Magistrate, the prosecutors did not attend court because they had gone for a conference.
Nsubuga and his co-accused were arraigned in court without a lawyer or relatives. The same court also remanded four other suspects on similar charges.
The four are Hakim Twaha, a resident of Buhemba Village Buhemba Sub-county, Namayingo District; Habibu Swaibu Kaigo, a fisherman at Nairobi Landing Site in Malongo Sub-county, Mayuge District, and Adam Edrisa from Bunya County, Mayuge District and Lukeman Mugomba a resident of Buligo village Nabidhonga Prison Parish, Iganga District.
They are accused of having allegedly professed to belong or belonged to ADF terrorist group between 2021 and January 2022 while in Mayuge, Mukono, and Namayingo districts.
Twaha however, faces an extra charge of terrorism for having reportedly been found with 10 pieces of nine volts of Get Top Heavy Duty batteries, a Samsung mobile phone, a bunch of wire connectors with transistors, a 12 volts bulb, and a screwdriver, all being materials for allagedly making local improvised explosive devices (IED).
The two groups of suspects were remanded to Luzira Upper Prison until May 31, 2022.
There have been several suspects arraigned before Buganda Road Court in Kampala since last year on charges related to terrorism.
The State alleges that between 2017 and 2021, the suspects without any due regard for the safety of other people manufactured, placed, and detonated improvised explosives with an intention of causing death and serious injury which resulted in a major economic loss.
The hunt for terror suspects started moments after the twin bomb blasts in Kampala in November 2021, which left seven people dead, including the suspected suicide bombers.
Prior to the twin blasts, other bombs had gone off in a coach belonging to Swift bus along the Masaka highway and another at Digida pork joint in Kyanja, a city suburb.
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