Kampala, (UG):- The Uganda Police has insisted that the cause of injuries sustained by National Unity Platform (NUP) President, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu can only be established after thorough investigations have been conducted.
Kyagulanyi commonly known as Bobi Wine was Tuesday injured while getting into his vehicle as security officers fired teargas to disperse a crowd escorting him from Bulindo in Kira Municipality – Wakiso District where he had gone to attend a thanksgiving of NUP lawyer George Musisi.
Initial reports which circulated widely on Tuesday evening indicated that Bobi Wine had been shot in the leg during the scuffle, but according to Police spokesperson ACP Rusoke Kituuma, this can only be verified after thorough investigations have been done.
This evening as our President returned from Bulindo in Kira Municipality where he had gone to check on one of our lawyers, Musisi George, the police and military under the command of one Twesigye surrounded our vehicles and started firing live bullets, teargas canisters and other… pic.twitter.com/PCfnM1cCoe— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) September 3, 2024
A statement initially released by Kituuma on Tuesday evening indicated that Bobi Wine was injured after stumbling when he was entering his vehicle, whereas his supporters asserted that he was shot and others claimed he was injured by a teargas canister.
Now in the latest development this morning, ACP Kituuma has stressed that police cannot base on videos circulating on social media to conclude on the matter but will instead professionally handle the incident by conducting investigations.
“Until we carry out an investigation, we’re a professional body and we cannot jump into any conclusion. We can only conclude on the basis of a professional finding. That is the most fundamental issue,” Kituuma said in a press conference at Naguru police headquarters on Wednesday morning.
Police officers present according to Kituuma claimed he stumbled while getting into his vehicle, while Hon. Kyagulanyi and his team maintain that he was shot however, social media has circulated videos showing him appearing to stumble amid apparent tear gas near his car, resulting in his injury.
But the police spox says police have retrieved CCTV footage revealing several observations and therefore no conclusions will be made until a professional investigation is made. “We don’t want to get into the arguments of injury by bullet, by a stumble, we want an opportunity for an investigation to prove it, which must be medical and go through professional investigators.”
A desperate criminal regime that operates by the trigger. Their appetite for violence is written on their faces. They pride themselves in shedding blood!#StopAbuseOfPowerUG pic.twitter.com/UBbB2ARgi8— National Unity Platform (@NUP_Ug) September 4, 2024
Police also said other acts of hooliganism, disruption of traffic and stoning of police officers are a subject of investigation after three officers were injured as a result of stone-throwing from Bobi Wine supporters, with one in serious condition. The windshields of two police vehicles were also shattered during the altercation.
“We urge the need to delegitimize hooliganism and to engage effectively with the police to foster harmonious interactions,” Kituuma stated, emphasizing that “police will investigate the alleged shooting and related incidents, focusing on addressing the root causes of these altercations.”
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