Mayuge, Uganda: Police in Mayuge District are holding a 32-year-old man as investigations continue into the murder of six-year-old James Abitanaye, whose body was found wrapped in plastic inside a deserted building in Budhebela Village.
The suspect, Yusuf Musengule, a resident of Macheche Village in Busakila Sub-county, was arrested following a community-led surveillance operation mounted after the child’s killing shocked residents of Mayuge Town Council.
James was reportedly sent by his mother, Sarah Naigaga, to deliver a mobile phone for charging before he disappeared. His body was later discovered inside an abandoned structure in Budhebela Village. The deceased was subsequently laid to rest in Kasambira Village, Kamuli District.
According to Budhebela LC1 Vice Chairperson Richard Jengo, suspicion arose when Musengule was found loitering near his home wearing a jacket and acting unusually.
“When I asked him what he was doing there, his answers didn’t match,” Jengo told Daily Express. “He kept changing his story.”
Jengo said residents gathered and questioned the suspect about his presence in the area.
Musengule initially claimed he had come to visit Faruku Isabirye, the man to whom the deceased child had delivered the phone. However, when Isabirye was called to verify the claim, the suspect reportedly failed to identify him.
He later changed his account and told residents that he was merely moving around the village.
Unsatisfied with the explanations, residents restrained the suspect and handed him over to officers at Mayuge Central Police Station.
Mayuge District Police Community Liaison Officer George Samuel Masolo commended residents for choosing to surrender the suspect to police instead of resorting to mob justice.
“This is the right approach,” Masolo told relatives and residents gathered at the police station. “Mob justice is a crime. We must allow due process to take its course.”
Masolo said detectives are continuing to process the crime scene and record witness statements as part of ongoing investigations.
He added that if evidence directly links Musengule to the murder, he will be formally charged and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The officer also appealed to members of the public to volunteer any information that could assist investigators in establishing the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
Busoga East Police are leading the investigation and by press time, no charges had been formally preferred against the suspect.
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