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UPDF soldiers raid Lubowa police, beat up commanders, civilians
Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesman, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- ASP Sunday attempted to escape from the errant soldiers to his office to pick up a gun that had been left on his table, the lieutenant grabbed it first and cocked it.
A dozen Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers led by a personnel at the rank of lieutenant on Wednesday evening raided Lubowa Police Station in Kampala and disarmed all policemen, including the officer-in-charge, before detaining them and over 10 civilians, who had gone to report different cases.
The motive of the raid is yet to be known.
Information obtained by this publication indicates that Assistant Superintendent of Police Innocent Sunday, the OC of Lubowa Police Station, his subordinates and civilians have been admitted to medical facilities with serious injuries after they were allegedly assaulted by the soldiers.
Three top police commanders of Kampala Metropolitan Police confirmed the incident and they said they have sent reinforcement to the station to take control of the crime scene and also start with the investigations.
When contacted, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesman, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, confirmed the raid and said they were still conducting investigations.
"It is true some of our officers were attacked. We have obtained CCTV footage of what happened, and investigations are ongoing," ASP Owoyesigyire said.
According to one of the police officers, a lieutenant arrived at Lubowa Police Station with men he accused of having parked a vehicle in a place near the National Social Security Fund estate in Lubowa.
OC Sunday invited his Officer-in-Charge of Investigations to assess the nature of the case and determine the offence that the suspects had committed.
A source said that as the police commanders were talking to the complainant (a lieutenant) to understand what happened, at least 10 soldiers arrived at the quarter guard where armed police guards were.
The police guards’ efforts to establish the reason for the visit ended immediately as soldiers became confrontational, a source said.
The two police guards retreated to the main office to inform their commanders that armed soldiers were attempting to raid the station.
At the juncture, a source said, ASP Sunday had also come out of the office to establish what was happening outside.
“The police guard informed him that there was an attempted raid on the station and threatened to shoot everyone. But the OC asked his guards to lay down their firearms to allow him to talk to the soldiers,” a source said.
The soldiers advanced and put all of them, including ASP Sunday, at gunpoint.
The source said a soldier in the vehicle, who appeared to be their commander, ordered his colleague to shoot ASP Sunday. The soldier reportedly cocked his gun and as he drew it to the OC, another soldier near him quickly intervened and stopped him from shooting.
“The soldier said, ‘No, don’t kill the commander.’ The commander of the soldiers got out of his car and rushed to ASP Sunday, who had surrendered, and kicked him several times before other soldiers joined him,” a source said.
The soldiers tore ASP Sunday’s uniform as they caned him using electric wires. The errant soldiers surrounded everyone at the station and beat them all over their bodies.
Among the beaten people were victims of crime, who had gone to the station to register cases, and area residents, who had gone to participate in volunteer work to build the station’s structures for free.
The Station OC also came out to rescue his commander, ASP Sunday, using his gun, but the lieutenant, whom they were talking to, quickly drew his pistol and put him at gunpoint before pushing him outside of the office.
ASP Sunday attempted to escape from the errant soldiers to his office to pick up a gun that had been left on his table, the lieutenant grabbed it first and cocked it.
But ASP Sunday allegedly was able to close the distance between him and the soldier. He hit the gun being held by the lieutenant, and it fell down.
At that moment, a civilian escaping danger fled to the OC station’s office and hid under his table. The lieutenant, who had lost control of the gun, also took off to the office where he picked his pistol, cocked and attempted to shoot the OC.
However, the OC was saved by the commander of the soldiers, who was in the vehicle, and ordered them to retreat immediately.
According to the source, the commander of the soldiers shouted at the lieutenant that “He told them come we go. Hurry! Come we go.”
The lieutenant ceased his attack and ran to their vehicle.
But another soldier, who was in the office, picked up a hammer that was being used by the volunteers and wanted to hit a civilian hiding in the OC’s office.
ASP Sunday had to plead with him not to kill a civilian in his office. In an attempt to save the civilian, the OC blocked the soldier's swing, and the hammer hit his arm, causing an injury.
All the soldiers retreated to their vehicle and fled the scene, the source said.
