The Police Spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke has revealed that human rights activist and lawyer, Praise Aloikin Opoloje is currently being held at the Kampala Central Police Station, following her seizure over the weekend at Namungoona Police Station.
“Whenever some people are arrested, there are a particular group of fellows who particularly always want to bastardise some of these actions of arrest. I would like to state that she was apprehended, she is in police hands” he said.
Kittuma made the revelation during the weekly police press briefing, at Naguru on Monday, noting that she will be arraigned before the courts of law at the right time.
“At an appropriate time, she will be placed in front of the temples of justice to answer for those allegations brought against her” he said.
He added, “Having knowingly misused her digital handle and account and offended, she must have known that she is not beyond and above her law. She is among those people who can be apprehended and held to account, that is precisely what was done and she will face the law” he said.
Online digital human rights platform, Agora Discourse has since revealed that Aloikin is facing charges of broadcasting without a licence under Section 28(1) and (2) of the Uganda Communications Act.
Details Emerge of Aloikin’s seizure
Following her dumping at CPS Kampala, Aloikin, in a phone call with Agora, has shared details of the Saturday events, that led to her detention.
Read the full statement below as narrated to Agora……..
Upon her abduction on Saturday evening, her captors drove towards Entebbe. They told her she would be punished for abusing their president (Muhoozi).
The beating started, (yes in the drone) and they kept saying “this is the start, the real package will be in the basement.” While the beating was ongoing, one of them told her they could kill her, put her in a bodybag and dump it away and no one could do anything about it.
After a while, on the journey towards what Praise believes was to Entebbe, one of the men in the drone received a phone call and then the recipient ordered the car to drive back to Kampala. Praise was not going to be taken to the basement, he said. He, like everyone in the drone was disenchanted by the call – heartbroken even (Praise’s thought). That they were so eager to torture her – one of them even said he was supposed to rape her.
Praise says she heard them loudly complaining that they spend all their days on missions only to be given stupid orders at the end. One of them added that for that mission (of abducting Praise), he had not eaten the whole day.
Still, Praise didn’t know where they were going, but given the captors reaction to the call, she could tell that whatever the case, it was disappointment for them which meant that it was better for her.
Before she knew it, the drone stopped at Kampala Police Station.
At CPS, her details were not taken. The police simply checked her into the women cell. At this point, Praise kept asking questions, the officers who locked her up threatened to kill her if she doesn’t keep quiet.
Today morning, she managed to make call to her friend Louise (who was present at the time of the abduction) telling him that she was being forced to sign documents she did not know.
Agora CFR has since worked with parties to get her legal representation. She’s being charged with broadcasting without licence through her TikTok account.
“We expect her to be produced in court anytime from now. We call upon everyone to remain steadfast in demanding for her release” Agora posted on X.
