Businessman remanded over illegal possession of a bullet

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The General Court Martial in Makindye has remanded 34 year old city businessman Francis Bruno Bazibu to Kitalya government prison on one offense of illegal  possession of a bullet.

Bazibu was on Thursday arraigned before court presided over by Lt General Andrew Gutti who read to him an offense of illegal possession of ammunition contrary to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Act.

The army prosecution led by Major Emmy Ekyaruhanga alleges that on November 11, 2020, in Bugembe village in Busiro, Wakiso district, Bazibu was illegally found with one live ammunition of an AK 47 gun which was ordinarily for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces.

But Bazibu denied the said charge. The army prosecutor Major Ekyaruhanga told court that the  investigations are still ongoing and asked to remand the accused as investigations continue.

Accordingly, Bazibu who was being represented by Lawyer Umar Lukwago has been sent to prison until  December 21, 2020 when he will return to be informed on the status of investigations.

Bazibu’s lawyer Lukwago told journalists at court that he together with his family were happy that finally he has been produced in court as it has been difficult for them to see him previously when he was  under unknown military detention.

According to the evidence before court by Bazibu’s wife Phiona Namazzi, Bazibu was arrested by plain clothed men of Special Forces Command from Okello House on October 31, 2020 where he had gone for a meeting and since then they had never seen him to date.

The family first looked for him in several detention centres but couldn’t access him and reached an extent of petitioning the High Court Civil Division on November 17, 2020 to have him produced dead or alive.

The High Court Judge Emmanuel Baguma issued an order directing the Attorney General and the security agencies to produce him in court on November 30, 2020 but the state defied the orders only to produce him in the military court today.

The family alleges that the military wanted to fraudulently take over Bazibu’s money in banks since they had started calling them to send them money pretending that it was him in need of it.

The family adds that the single bullet in question was also brought by the security forces that came to conduct a search at his home because for him he has never had a gun and there is no way he could be having a bullet.

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