Kampala —Chaos broke out outside the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court on Wednesday when plainclothes security operatives abducted two individuals, including a local councilor, moments after a court session in the ongoing treason and misprision of treason case involving Dr. Kizza Besigye and others was adjourned.
The drama unfolded shortly after lawyers representing Besigye—led by Senior Counsel Martha Karua and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago—addressed journalists outside the court. Grade One Magistrate Jonathan Tiyo had stood in for Chief Magistrate Esther Nyadoi and adjourned the case to May 29, 2025.
As the crowd exited the courtroom, several men in civilian clothes forcibly seized the two individuals and bundled them into a waiting white van, commonly referred to as a “drone,” parked opposite the court.
Eyewitnesses reported that the vehicle sped off in the direction of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters. Angry onlookers shouted for their release, and one supporter even struck an officer before uniformed personnel from the Joint Anti-Terrorism (JAT) unit arrived in a double-cabin pickup to escort the van.
Counter-terrorism police officers stationed at the court reportedly attempted to give chase but were quickly outpaced.
Harold Kaija, Secretary-General of the Patriotic Front for Freedom—a splinter group from the FDC—identified one of the abducted as Katongole, a councillor from Kira Division. Sources say Katongole had earlier clashed with a man believed to be photographing the courtroom audience covertly, prompting spectators to eject the suspected operative, whom they labeled a “state spy.”
Other witnesses claimed Katongole and his companion had been leading chants outside the court, denouncing President Yoweri Museveni and the Chief of Defence Forces, his son Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, while voicing support for Besigye’s opposition faction.
Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, who claimed he was also briefly detained before being released, condemned the abductions.
“Courts are supposed to be sanctuaries of liberty, not dangerous scenes of arrests by security operatives,” said Kiiza. “These courthouse arrests intimidate citizens and deter them from accessing the very justice the Constitution promises.”
In recent years, the use of unmarked “drone” vans for the abduction of political activists and opposition figures has drawn widespread criticism, with human rights organizations and courts repeatedly calling for an end to the practice. Despite several court rulings condemning such actions, enforcement has remained inconsistent.
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