Bobi Wine, the Ugandan opposition leader, was apprehended at Entebbe International Airport close to Kampala’s capital on Thursday when he reentered the nation, as reported by the National Unity Platform, his political party.
According to a social media post by the National Unity Platform (NUP), Bobi Wine was taken into custody with the use of violence when he returned to Uganda. We are in the process of ascertaining his present location.
A video released by the party displayed several individuals grabbing Wine on the tarmac, while one of his companions yelled insistently, “Where are you taking him?”
It appears that the arrest was conducted in order to halt a pre-planned assembly of Wine’s supporters outside the airport, in light of a prior warning issued by the police, urging them to abandon the procession.
Wine, originally a music artist but later a politician using the name Robert Kyagulanyi, assumed the role of the primary opposition candidate in the January 2021 presidential elections and ended up losing to President Yoweri Museveni.
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Museveni insisted on his re-election to a sixth term, even as allegations of fraud and intimidation circulated widely. Wine, in response, rejected the election results and put forth evidence of both fraud and intimidation.
Upon Wine’s return to the country on Thursday, the National Unity Platform also asserted that its headquarters was “under siege.”
The political party also reported on ‘X,’ previously Twitter, that there were sightings of military helicopters hovering above Wine’s residence in Magere, Uganda. They went on to indicate that security operatives had been positioned around the entirety of his perimeter.
Over the years, Ugandan security forces have detained Wine on multiple occasions, particularly in the lead-up to Uganda’s contentious elections.
He had mentioned in a 2021 interview that he believed his life to be at risk while residing in the country.
As he prepared to return to Uganda, Wine posted on social media in the early hours of Thursday, saying, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for the Lord is with me — Psalms 23:4. I am coming home!’
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Uganda Police Force acknowledged that they had been notified about a scheduled gathering to take place on Thursday, starting at Entebbe International Airport. This gathering was reportedly organised by a group of political activists associated with the National Unity Platform (NUP).
Police officials advised the event planners to cancel the procession to prevent traffic disturbances and to decrease the likelihood of attracting criminal activities that could put bystanders, motorists, passengers, and local businesses at risk through theft or other unlawful behaviours.