Amama supporters arrested for 'attempting to rob Centenary bank'
- Written by URN
Seven supporters of presidential aspirant Amama Mbabazi have been arrested and detained at Mbarara central police station for distributing his posters in the busy town centre.
The seven that include Joseph Kiiza, Bright Muhumuza and Benson Muntu Bakinyenza, the western region Mbabazi campaign coordinators were rounded up Tuesday morning at Centenary Bank, Mbarara branch.
Police also confiscated several t-shirts with Mbabazi's picture, posters and flyers which were being distributed to boda boda riders and the business community along Highway Street.
Jaffar Magyezi, the acting Mbarara district police commander alleges the group who pretended to be distributing Amama Mbabazi's posters in the centre of the town had a hidden agenda of robbing Centenary bank.
According to Magyezi, ten centenary bank customers have already filed cases of theft of their money at Mbarara central police station. Magyenzi says those arrested will be charged with robbery and organizing unlawful assembly.
"I don’t really know whether when you want to become a leader means that you first demonstrate or stage a procession that is when you get votes. I think it really wrong and Ugandans need to understand that when you really have a heart for Uganda you can’t do what these people. We are going to treat them as the law says. it is not a procession, it is something staged. I think they either wanted to rob a bank or to steal. All those people who have alleged that they have lost things, they will have to compensate them", Magyezi said.
Joseph Kizza, Mbabazi's campaign coordinator for western region said that police is trying to frame them. Kizza says police came following them up while they distributed posters to business people in their shops and not on the street as alleged by police.
Joel Mande, a resident of Mbarara town who had just received Mbabazi‘s poster and police confiscated it from him condemned the manner in which security personnel are harassing Mbabazi's supporters in the country. In June 2015, the same group was arrested while distributing Mbabazi's posters and t-shirts in Mbarara town and later charged with holding unlawful assembly.