By Andrew Irumba
Opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has claimed that more than 100 people were brutally tortured in the Arua by-election fracas last month that saw 33 people, including Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, being charged with treason.
Addressing the weekly press briefing yesterday at the party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the party spokesperson, claimed the same injured people have never received treatment and that they are now in need of specialised medical attention.
“The focus of the government has been on the leaders but there are hundreds of people from Arua who were brutalised. Many have remained unattended to and some of them will never walk again,” Mr Ssemujju said.
“We have taken a decision as a party to seek justice for all those people who were tortured because it is very easy for everybody to fight for MPs yet there are hundreds of people who were brutalized and are in dire need of medical attention, which they cannot get themselves,” he added.
Mr Ssemujju said they have since established a committee, which will release the final report on Friday, detailing what could have happened in Arua and use the same to seek justice before courts of law.
On August 13, a combined security detail comprising both regular police and the Special Forces Command (SFC), in a crackdown, arrested several people for allegedly pelting stones at one of President Museveni’s motorcade, destroying its rear windshield.
The fracas ensued following the winding up of campaign rallies by candidates from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM party), Ms Nusura Tiperu, and those of the independent candidate, Mr Kassiano Wadri, in the Arua Municipality by-election.
The fracas saw Bobi’s driver, Yasin Kawuma, shot dead near Pacific Hotel.
The other person who was seriously injured in the Arua fracas was the Mityana Municipality MP, Mr Francis Zaake.
Many of the MPs, who are now facing treason charges were picked from Pacific Hotel, which was being used as their campaign coordinating base for Mr Wadri who was pronounced winner on the night of August 15 by the electoral commission.
However,Mr Patrick Onyango, the deputy police spokesperson,explained that police are aware of only 33 suspects who were arrested in the scuffle.
He said the suspects have since been charged before courts of law.
Mr Onyango questioned the motive of FDC giving out ‘false’ figures of the injured people in the aftermath of the Arua fracas.
