KAMPALA, UGANDA: Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga has said the police have suspended 13 of its officers who earlier this month broke into the residence of Sheikh Muhammad Yunus Kamoga in Tula, Kawempe Division, a Kampala suburb.
The implicated officers will also face the police disciplinary court to answer torture charges after a video clip went viral showing them assaulting, kicking, and gun butting some of the victims they went to rescue from the illegal rehabilitation centre.
In a June 2 operation, a team of joint security forces from Crime Intelligence (CI) and Chieftaincy of Crime Intelligence (CMI) raided Sheikh Kamoga’s home after getting intelligence that he had confined over 40 people against their will.
In the aftermath of the violent raid, two individuals were reportedly injured and the CCTV camera footage released days after showed how the raiders jumped over the fence, broke into the Cleric’s bedroom and turned things upside down before they pounced on innocent people.
Kamoga, the head of Jumiat Dawatil Tabligh Al-Salafiya in Nakasero who at the time of the incident was attending a burial condemned the raid, stating that it was unnecessary because he is a law-abiding citizen.
In his weekly press briefing at Police Headquarters in Naguru, Mr Enanga stated that while security operatives faced some resistance from the scene, including stones thrown at them, such a response was unnecessary, causing public outrage.
He also that a probe into the detention of the 45 youths found at the rehabilitation centre (home) is still ongoing and that Sheikh Kamoga has been summoned.
According to Enanga, 17 of the 45 youths allegedly found at Sheik Kamoga’s home have successfully been reunited with their relatives.
The police spokesperson further noted that although Kawepe division police had invited Sheikh Kamoga to make a statement indicating the circumstances under which the rehabilitation was created and whether they have a license, he has defied the summons.
It is alleged that the said rehabilitation centre has been mobilizing children and young adults from across the country while others came from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: [email protected] Or join the Daily Express WhatsApp channel for all the latest news and trends or join the Telegram Channel for the latest updates.
