Jinja: 26-year-old Doreen Nakisige together with 30-year-old friend, Sanyu Namuganza are in police custody. The duo who are neighbours and residents of Munyegera zone in Buwenge town council, Jinja district landed in trouble after confessing that they are the authors of the written threats to murder, dumped at the doorsteps of teacher Zaituna Tibasiima a resident of the same zone.
Tibasiima and the entire town of Buwenge was in panic yesterday when she returned from school only to find the letter and a bunch of matooke beside it. In the letter, the authors said; “we have also given you this bunch of matooke to have it for your last supper before we come and murder you.”
But moments later, the suspects called her by telephone and asked her not to panic. “We are the ones who have written that letter just to tease you,” they said.
This confession led to their arrest by police from Buwenge police station.
Detective Henry Magoola, the officer in charge, has told this writer that, the duo are facing charges of written murder threats contrary to the penal code act.
Found at the police station, the suspects still maintained that they are the authors of the letter but were just joking.
“Madame Tibasiima is our friend. We were simply playing on her mind to see whether she would be frightened,” a teary Sanyu told The Eagle Online this morning.
The development comes when Buwenge, Kamuli district and Mafubira Sub County in Jinja are on tension over anonymous threat leaflets.
Last month a leaflet was recovered from Munyegera zone in Buwenge town council just near the homes of the detained suspects. The letter warned that the authors were coming for breasts and genitals of women and men. As a measure, authorities banned night movements and operation of bars and night prayers.
In Kamuli, thugs dropped anonymous letters written in three different languages; Lusoga, Luganda and English demanding for breats and genitals.
The letters which left the residents in panic were on the morning of Monday 11 June 2018 recovered from the villages of Buyima and Kagumba in Kagumba sub county.
“Tension is high in our area because of these anonymous letters. We cannot take them for granted because there is now insecurity in the country. Anything can happen,” lamented Buyima LC I chairperson, Zawujja Namulondo.
Detectives from Busoga North Regional police headquaters visited the area to recover the letters.
The thugs have warned the residents not to take their letters for a joke but to actually get ready for the raid.
In response police took full charge of the security of the people “and these thugs will have their mission foiled, ” said Michael Kasadha the regional police spokesman.
Earlier, similar leaflets were dropped in Mafubira sub county about 20Km away from Buwenge in the district of Jinja.
The leaflets were reportedly dropped in five villages; Wakitaka, Kaitabawala, Namulesa, Lwanda and Sakabusolo demanding for two things – money and women.
In some of the anonymous letters the demand was money and in other letters they demanded for a total of 540 women.
“We shall come for 120 young women from both Namulesa and Wakitaka Villages,” read one leaflet recovered by police from Namalesa trading centre while another similar letter found in Lwanda village was demanding for 20 breasts of elderly women.
In Kaitabawala village, two letters recovered from there said the thugs were soon coming for 400 wives from that village.
Amisi Kiganyira the LCIII chairman said on Monday 11 June that no arrests have been made and none of his residents has been attacked because security was beefed up by the police and the army.
Early last month, other anonymous letters were reportedly dropped in Kifirira and Wantunda Villages located in Busedde Sub-County, Jinja District, specifically ‘wanting’ the Sub-County Security Officer (GISO), Rahman Badaga and his wife, Abul Noor Buwabe and his wife and the LCIII Chairperson, Abu Kibita.
While Buwabe is an influential businessman owning over 250 acres of sugarcane and was solely responsible for the construction of the area Mosque, residents suspect Kibita is being targeted because his son allegedly deserted from the UPDF. This reporter could not verify these reports by press time.
Suleiman Musoga, a resident of Mafubira, is worried for the safety of his family, calling upon the government to put a curfew in place.
“They should pass a resolution that nobody should loiter around the Villages at a specific hour of the night or else that person will be arrested. Hopefully, we shall be safe,” he said.
Another resident who declined to be named asked for reinstating of ‘Operation Wembley’, a security outfit that fought urban crime countrywide in the 90’s.
“Also, I have noticed an influx of vehicles with tinted windows. I don’t think we are safe with these vehicles in our area especially during the rampant kidnappings,” he said.
The Kiira Region Police Commander (RPC), Onesmus Mwesigwa, says police are in control and have beefed up security in the areas to prevent any danger to residents by the purported thugs.