State drops charges against Gen Kayihura’s men

Col Atwooki Ndahura, who was the director of Police Crime Intelligence, and six other police officers have been set free after the military prosecutors dropped charges of abducting and illegally repatriating Rwandan refugees and failing to protect war materials, against them.The other six officers are former Flying Squad Unit commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Herbert Muhangi, former head of Special Operations Unit, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nixon Agasirwe, former head of Cyber Crime, SSP Richard Ndaboine, and the former Flying Squad Unit operative Assistant Superintendent of Police Patrick Muramira.The others are; Assistant Inspector of Police Jonas Ayebaza, who was the personal assistant to former Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, and former Flying Squad Unit operative Detective Constable Kitagenda Muyomba.The Chairman of the General Court Martial Brig Gen Freeman Mugabe told the seven officers that they were free after the military prosecutors put in a nolle prosequi, which is a notice of not to continue with the prosecution.The seven officers with several others, including Rwanda nationals, were arrested by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence in October 2017 on allegations of abducting and illegally extraditing Rwandan refugees, including Lt Joel Mutabazi, back to Rwanda.They were also accused of failing to protect war materials.  They were held in a military facility for nearly six months before they were produced in the General Court Martial and charged with capital offences, but they denied all the charges.They were later joined on the same charge sheet by Gen Kayihura. Although Gen Kayihura was released on bail days after he appeared in court, the others remained on remand for more than four years.READ: Making sense of Ssobi, Agasirwe, Kitatta and Kirumira revelationsTop police officers charged with kidnap of Kagame’s bodyguardThey were later released on bail but barred from travelling outside of Kampala City and Wakiso District without the court’s approval.Gen Kayihura’s charges were dropped last year and retired from the army a day later.Col Ndahura on Tuesday described the court process as an experience that is worth reflecting on.“It has been an experience. It has been time to reflect on the service. I thank the Commander in Chief (President Museveni). For me as an icon of justice, justice has been served at last. It has been very serious,” he said.Col Ndahura said having a criminal case in which you are accused of being against the state is a very serious thing that was a heavy burden on him.“I want to thank my dear wife, those women are heroines, who looked in the face of Ugandans and said I want him dead or alive. [I thank] my colleagues who dared to come and stand with us as sureties. A friend in need is a friend indeed,” he said.During their detention in 2018, Col Ndahura’s daughter, Ms Peace Alinda, said their family was in financial distress and they could barely fend for themselves.“Those (children) who were at school have dropped out,” Ms Alinda told this publication then.Ms Evas Natukunda, the wife of ACP Muhangi, said then that she had a burden of looking after the children yet she was unemployed.SSP Ndaboine’s wife, Ms Anne Mercy Ndaboine, too said she was unemployed yet she had to look after three children.In December 2022, after his release on bail, SSP Agasirwe married and told the Monitor that some groups falsely accused them of committing crimes, but the President carried out his investigations and found out they were innocent.“He will always apply his long arm of natural justice and trust me that even after years of suffering, he will always discover the truth and accord justice to victims of intrigue. Mzee tunakushukuru sana (we thank you so much). Even when some of us never expected to live again. We are here giving testimony that in fact, you are a God-sent President,” SSP Agasiirwe said.The released officers said they would report back to their employers as required by the law and inform them of the outcome of the court case.All the freed officers have been on interdiction in their respective agencies and they were earning half pay for six years.The dropping of the charges means that they would be paid the fraction that had been withheld as they were battling criminal cases.[email protected]