By KT Reporter
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) has finally broken its silence on the detention of Reverend Father Deusdedit Ssekabira, a priest under Masaka Diocese. Fr Ssekabira, the Assistant Priest of Bumangi Parish in Kalangala District, went missing on December 3 after he was picked up by armed security operatives who whisked him away without informing his close associates of the reasons for his arrest or where he was being taken.
He was picked up from the offices of his non-government organisation, Universal Chastity Education, located in Katwe Zone, Masaka City. His whereabouts remained unknown until Sunday evening, when the UPDF accepted responsibility for holding him. In a statement signed by Colonel Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, the army confirmed that the priest was arrested by security forces for alleged involvement in violent subversive activities against the state.
The statement indicates that the priest is currently in lawful custody to assist with further investigations into the matter. “He will be produced in a court of law and charged accordingly,” Magezi noted, without giving details on when he is expected to be produced for trial. The statement follows a series of demands from the Bishop of Masaka Diocese, Severus Jjumba, and the priest’s relatives, asking the government to explain Fr Ssekabira’s whereabouts.
On Saturday, Bishop Jjumba issued a public statement expressing deep concern over the disappearance of the priest, whom he described as having been kidnapped. He said that together with diocesan lawyers, the Church and the priest’s relatives had, for over a week, searched for him in different places, including police custody, but without success.Bishop Jjumba subsequently declared three days of special prayers of the Sorrowful Mysteries, seeking God’s intervention. The UPDF statement also comes a day after the Diocese, through its lawyer Alexander Lule Nkima, petitioned the Masaka High Court seeking orders compelling state security agencies to produce the priest before court, in whatever condition he may be in.
Lule says they are eagerly waiting to see the priest produced before a competent court so that they can know the charges preferred against him. He, however, criticised the security operatives for abducting the priest without following acceptable arrest procedures, noting that the incident has left many people, including the faithful, in tension.Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba, the President of the Democratic Front and a relative of the priest, has also challenged the state to hastily produce him in court, wondering why security agencies did not engage diocesan authorities if they had issues with the priest.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
