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My kidnappers want me to drop court case against Oulanyah, says Toolit
Mr Simon Toolit Aketcha (L) and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah
GULU. Former Omoro County MP contestant in the February 18 election, Simon Toolit Akecha has said his recent ‘abduction’ was related to the election petition he filed in Court against his rival the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah.
Mr Toolit went missing in the wee hours of Wednesday morning after three unknown gunmen allegedly abducted him from his home in African Quarters in Pece Division Gulu Municipality.
Three days after the alleged abduction, he appeared at Kira Road Police Station in Kampala and claimed his kidnappers dumped him near Kobil Petrol in Kamwokya along Kira Road on Saturday Morning.
He was challenging Oulanyah’s declaration as Omoro County MP at Gulu High Court before Mbabara Resident Judge Justice David Matovu at the time of his abduction.
In a telephone interview with Daily Monitor over the weekend, Toolit said he was kidnapped and ordered to drop the election petition case he filed against Mr Oulanyah.
“Someone familiar to me came and requested for assistance at about 3am Wednesday. I granted him access to my house although I had hesitated because of the late time. While we entered two other men rushed in with two guns. The gunmen ordered me to go to the bedroom and dress up my self while one held my son at gun point. When we came out of the house, I was blindfolded and bundled into a waiting car before being driven off,” Mr Toolit said.
He noted that after many hours of driving at break neck speed, the vehicle parked in a location he didn’t know and he was told to step out, still blindfolded.
“The kidnappers who wore masks on their faces led me into a certain garage and started asking me why I took Deputy Speaker Oulanyah to Court. They told me I disrespected the government by challenging the Deputy Speaker and tarnishing his name by alleging that he rigged elections,” Mr Toolit said.
“Although I wasn’t beaten, I was held in that congested garage without lights for three days. I didn’t shower and only urinated in a bucket while feeding on only biscuits and Soda,” said Mr Toolit.
He added that on Saturday morning before he was dumped in Kamwokya, the kidnappers warned him to stay away from Oulanyah.
“I am mentally confused at the moment. I fear for my life and that of my family….,” Mr Toolit said before the phone call ended.
Mr Oulanyah however when contacted on phone denied any links to the saidabduction of Toolit arguing that it was a stage managed to tarnish his name.
He said prior to the alleged abduction, he received a text message from Mr Toolit on May 21 congratulating him upon being elected deputy speaker of the 10th parliament.
Mr Oulanya added that the following day (May 22) Toolit sent him an email saying he wanted to reconcile and settle the matter out of court.
“He is just afraid of the court case which he is bound to lose because he doesn’t have evidence to show I rigged the elections. He sought for public sympathy by abducting himself so that people hate me,” Mr Oulanyah said.
The police and army earlier on Thursday denied any role in aiding the alleged kidnap of Toolit but rather promised to investigate it after the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change Party Members accused the state of being behind the abduction.
Justice Matovu set June 8 this year as date for delivering judgment on the poll petition case between Toolit and Oulanyah.
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