Counsel Abed Nasser Mudiobole, a prominent lawyer in Iganga, was reportedly abducted yesterday evening in Kyaliwajjala, raising serious concerns about the safety and security of legal professionals and citizens alike.
The incident was announced by National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, who condemned the abduction in strong terms.
According to Bobi Wine, Mudiobole, an advocate based in Iganga, was lured to a meeting with a supposed client.
Upon arrival at the designated premises in Kyaliwajjala, he was allegedly accosted by heavily armed men who forced him into a “drone,” a term commonly used in Uganda to refer to unmarked vehicles often associated with security forces, and driven to an undisclosed location.
“Counsel Abed Nasser Mudiobole… was abducted yesterday evening from Kyaliwajjala,” Wine stated in a brief statement on his X earlier today. “He was invited to meet a client and on reaching the premises, he was put on gunpoint by heavily armed men and driven away in a drone to an unknown location.”
Bobi Wine further revealed that Mudiobole had been at the NUP headquarters earlier in the day, alongside other leaders from Eastern Uganda, discussing the upcoming youth elections.
“Earlier in the day, he was at the NUP Headquarters alongside other leaders from Eastern Uganda where we discussed the upcoming youth elections,” Bobi Wine said.
The abduction has sparked widespread condemnation, with many fearing a return to a period of increased state-sponsored abductions and human rights abuses.
Bobi Wine criticized the act, stating that the crimes don’t project strength. “They project weakness and fear. Let us continue organising, mobilising and agitating for a better country.”
The motive behind the abduction remains unclear, but the incident has further heightened tensions in the country, already grappling with political and socio-economic challenges. Authorities have yet to release an official statement regarding the incident, and the whereabouts of Counsel Mudiobole remain unknown.
