State Minister for ICT Idah Nantaba earlier today survived an assassination attempt, after gunmen intercepted her car with a clear intention to harm.
The incident occurred at Ggavu village in Kasawo Sub-County, on the Kayunga-Mukono Road.
According to Uganda Police, the minister was returning to Kampala from Ndeeba village in Kayunga, where she had spent the weekend, when in the village of Ggavu two men riding a bodaboda intercepted her car.
Thinking they were her constituents, Hon. Nantaba stopped, then suddenly masked men emerged from the bush carrying guns in a way that indicated they were intent on shooting.
Immediately sensing danger, the minister sped off, and luckily the gunmen didn’t shoot at her car. She rushed to Naggalama Police Station where she reported the incident –reportedly amidst sobs. (Sources have indicated the minister is still to shaken to speak to the public, and has spent some hours in police custody to have her cool down.)
Police says when the life-threatening incident occurred, in the car with Hon. Nantaba was her bodyguard attached to the Special Forces Command (SFC). But the bodyguard did not fire at the suspected thugs as he feared that the minister could be caught in cross fire.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigire, says that after the minister alerted police, security personnel started patrolling the area before they encountered gunmen who opened fire at them.
Owoyesigyire: ” The minister was suspicious of the men on the motorbike before she called the Nagalama Police station which alerted other stations. The Police then started patrolling and monitoring the surroundings before they encountered gunmen who opened fire which prompted the Police to fire back before killing one of the gunmen on spot,” Owoyesigyire told NTV on phone.
According to the Kampala Deputy Police spokesman, Police and other security agencies are still hunting for the other gunmen, as well as doing investigations for further details of what exactly happened and why it might have happened.