Police hunt for assailants behind plumber’s torture

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police have launched a manhunt for unknown people captured in a video torturing a man by burning his back with melting plastic after tying his hands and legs. Police swung into action when the video went viral on social media over the weekend showing a group of people donning NRM shirts torturing their victim.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga has identified the torture victim as Brian Njuba, a 40-year-old plumber and resident of Lungujja in Lubaga division, Kampala city. It is alleged that the suspects lured Njuba who had pinned posters with his telephone contact advertising his work. He was invited for plumbing work by people unknown to him.

They gave him directions from Lungujja where he stayed up to Lovely Guesthouse in Ggaba. When he reached there, he was asked to go into one of the rooms of the guest house and on entering, he was grabbed,” said Enanga.

Preliminary police findings show that while inside the guest house room, the suspects stripped Njuba naked and tied his testicles with ropes. They gagged his mouth with stockings before burning him with melting plastic.

According to police, the suspects left their victim for dead but he was saved by the cleaners who found him and made the alarm. Enanga says that the assailants were very careful not to leave behind any trace.

“This was a horrific act that was carefully captured on the phone camera, where the faces of the assailants were concealed but the recorder of the video only managed to display a yellow t-shirt written on NRM at the back to probably reveal that the assailants subscribe to the NRM party,” Enanga noted.

Police have since arrested the owner of the guest house, Brian Mushabwe and Mercy Namagembe for failure to record the particulars of their guests.

Enanga notes that a serious hunt for the suspects is ongoing. “We shall not rest until they are arrested and face the law in court. This should also be a caution to other business people to step up their game while responding to business calls,” Enanga cautioned.

At the beginning of the 2021 political campaign season, unknown assailants punched 6-inch nails in the hands of Baker Kasumba, a resident of Kivuulu in Kawempe Division for allegedly wearing a yellow beret, which is commonly used by the National Resistance Movement-NRM party activists.

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