Mixed Reactiins As Gov’t Slaps Arua By-election Detainees With Treason Charges, More Still At Large
Police in Arua has today vowed to continue making arrests and hunting for all individuals named in the controversial by-elction fracas that resulted into bloodshed.
This was revealed during a press conference aimed at displaying items including two guns they say were recovered from the hotel room that was occupied by Wadri’s chief mobiliser also Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine. Kyagulanyi’s driver, Yasin Kawuma was gunned down on Monday evening at Hotel Pacific parking yard and has been laid to rest today at his ancestral home in Buwama, Mpigi district.
Among the exhibits police displayed before journalists as items allegedly recovered from Kyagulanyi’s hotel room; include two rifles with 30 rounds of ammunition each, a pistol with 8 rounds of ammunition, several mobile phones, T-shirts and several red caps.
While exhibiting the items before the media, Josephine Angucia the police spokesperson for West Nile said, police recovered the two guns from the hotel room of Kyagulanyi while the pistol was found with Wadri.
Angucia also stated that they are also hunting for Shamim Madada and one Omedi Isaac Elong who is accused of procuring the firearm to Hon. Kassiano Wadri.
“We have got all the intelligence, it’s through the bulk transactions between Wadri and Isaac based Israel that Kassiono managed to illegally secure the guns, we now want him to lead that man and also tell us where they bought the guns.” Angucia said.
However, when asked in which room the police recovered the items and whether the hotel was aware of the exhibits, Angucia referred journalists to the hotel management.
Luigi Candia, the proprietor of Hotel Pacific dismissed the police allegations against Kyagulanyi as untrue – aimed at covering up the “vandalism and robbery” done by the presidential guards. Kyagulanyi was arrested on Tuesday morning allegedly from the ceiling of the hotel where he’d been hiding. Wadri and several MPs were arrested on Monday.
Luigi said his hotel was besieged by the army who beat up hotel staff, vandalised guest rooms, destroyed furniture and went away with over Shs 80 million. He said the money belonged to the hotel and their guests.
Luigi added that he’s documenting all the losses incurred as a result of the destruction caused by the army which besieged the hotel from Monday night till Tuesday afternoon. According to some of the hotel staff, more than 20 rooms were vandalized and their locks destroyed, three hotel staff including the watchman were beaten and are still receiving treatment.