Apac, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | North Kyoga police are holding two of their own accused of torturing a suspect in custody. The suspects are police constables Bernard Ogoro and Mathew Bwambale, attached to Ibuje police station.
They were arrested on Wednesday after a video showing them beating and kicking a suspect in handcuffs started making rounds on social media on Tuesday night. The incident happened at Sadeem Alkuwait road construction company offices on Tuesday May 31, 2022, in Ibuje sub-county in Apac district.
Reports indicate that Ogoro, who is attached to the Field Force Police (FFP) Unit contacted Ibuje police station for reinforcement to arrest Ronald Mumbere who was threatening to harm Cesare Meghila, an administrator at Sadam Alkuwait.
It is alleged that the victim become violent when the administrators rejected his request for a loan worth Shillings 500,000. This forced the officers to use force to subdue and handcuff him before they descended on him with blows and kicks and dragged him to Ibuje police station.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Police spokesperson condemned the incident, saying that they realized it when the video started circulating on social media.
According to Okema, the victim will be subjected to a medical examination to ascertain his mental and physical state. The human resource and the transport managers from Sadeem have approached the police and requested that they be allowed to handle Mumbere’s issue administratively.
This however is not the first time police in North Kyoga are acting in a similar manner. In April this year, Raymond Esanyu, an officer attached to Starch Factory Outpost was arrested for murdering a suspect. It is alleged that he shot dead a 29-year-old man during a night patrol. Earlier in March, police in Oyam were on the spot over the death of a suspect who was allegedly tortured while in police cells.
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