Families of the eight suspects that have so far been arrested by a joint security team led by Police over their involvement in the attempted assassination of Works and Transport Minister, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala have dragged government to court.
Last week, the Joint Security Task teams made a major breakthrough and arrested four more suspects connected to the double murder and attempted assassination of Gen Katumba Wamala which occurred on June 1 this year.
Those arrested include; Kamada Walusimbi aka Mudinka, Siriman Kisambira aka Mukwasi, Juma Saidi, Juma Sserwadda and Muhammad Kagugube aka Bafumoya whereas Hussein Wahab Lubwama aka Master and Mustafa Kawawa Ramadan aka Amin were shot dead as they allegedly attempted to escape.
Despite Police claiming to have enough evidence to pin the suspects for double murder and attempted murder incident, its yet to produce them before court as required by law.
The families through their lawyers from Wameli and Co Advocates have dragged government to court demanding suspects to be brought to court.
They have filed an application of habeas corpus which requests that the court orders the custodian of the person, to bring the prisoner to court, to determine whether the detention is lawful.
In the application, their relatives say that the suspects were arrested by security from their respective homes of Kawanda, Maganjo,Muyenga and Namuwongo in Kampala and Wakiso districts but no formal communication has ever been sent to them concerning why they were arrested.
“Several plain-clothed men armed with all kinds of guns pounced and grabbed them, forced and brutally dragged them into waiting vans. It is now over 48 hours but they have not been produced before any court or formally charged with any offence under the law,” an affidavit by one Francis Nyakoojo says.
The family members say the detention beyond the 48 hours as stipulated by the law is a violation of the detained relatives’ rights as enshrined in the Constitution.
They also say that the group was illegally arrested and are being detained illegally in unknown places.