He was a father of six.
As bullets pierced trough the vintage beetle Vauxwagen, Arua municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga he was stuck with him in the small automobile trying to duck the bullets.
It was 57 year old Saidi Butele, his young brother. Himself a soldier, he was playing as the legislator’s bodyguard.
The duo was attacked a few meters from the legislator’s home in Kirinnyabigo, Kawanda Wakiso District.
Family sources say, Butele had just returned from a peace keeping mission in Somalia last month.
“Butele was encouraged to join the army by Abiriga in order to fight for peace in Uganda,” says Salim Saleh Drasi a brother to the deceased.
Drasi described the murder of the two brothers as a double tragedy and great loss to the family.
Museveni visits scene of crime
President Museveni has this Saturday morning reached the scene of crime before proceeding to Abiriga’s home to meet the bereaved family.
There is also information which we could not readily verify saying that the family was picked up from Arua in a chopper sent by the president.
Museveni has instructed security heads to ensure that the killers are captured without any excuses.
Special sitting of Parliament.
Parliament will tomorrow, Sunday 10 June, 2018 at 9:00am hold a special sitting to honour the slain legislator.
The Clerk to Parliament, Ms Jane Kibirige in a message, informed all Members of Parliament about this special sitting and asked them to come and pay tribute to their slain colleague.
Abiriga’s background
Family sources indicate that the murdered legislator went to Rhino Camp primary school from where he dropped out and joined army during Idi Amin regime before going into exile in the Democratic Republic of Cong which was called Zaire at the time.
When Amin’s government was toppled 1979, Abiriga’s family went into exile in Sudan and Congo.
But when the political environment stabilized, the slain MP returned from exile and found there were different groups in West Nile. He joined UNRFI.
Abiriga gained fame as an RDC as he was always passionate about denouncing corruption in Arua municipality. Later he was transferred to Yumbe District in the same capacity from where he resigned in 2015 and join politics in 2016.
Burial arrangements
The Head of the Burial Arrangement, Jackson Atima, said their hearts are grieving deeply “because we have lost an honest man who put people ahead of him. People should take courage and be calm to receive the body and make a decent burial for him.”
His body and that of Abiriga will be flown to Arua tomorrow afternoon.
The two will be buried on Monday at their home in Lukudo village, Iramva Paish in Rhino Camp Sub-county in Arua District on Monday.
