Uganda Police have confirmed arresting Norbert Elber Ariho, a private bodyguard of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
In a statement issued on Friday, Police through its official Facebook page said they arrested Ariho today at around 11:30am from Buhuro Manafwa.
“His arrest is in connection with an alleged assault occasioning grievous bodily harm Vide Kayunga police station, CRB 829/2020, and related incidents of obstruction and incitement to violence during the political campaigns at Kyampisi trading centre on 01.12.2020 Vide CID headquarters, GEF 1172/2020. Arrangements to obtain his statement in place,” the force said.
On Tuesday, while in Kayunga, unidentified person threw a teargas canister near Bobi Wine as he confronted security officers for disrupting his campaign meeting. Hours later, a video emerged pinning Ariho, to have hurled the canister towards the presidential candidate.
On Wednesday, Uganda Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga told the media that they were hunting for Ariho for alleged possession of teargas canister which was hurled behind Bobi Wine.
Enanga said the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) is investigating Ariho’s intentions.
“Bobi Wine defied the police directives to move to Bukeka Playground, the designated campaign venue. It is at this stage that he jumped off his motor vehicle and had a verbal exchange with the commander of the police patrol car, registration number UP 5492. In the process, a tear gas canister was hurled from behind the candidate by a man who has now been identified as Ariho Elber Norbert who forms part of his security detail. The teargas canister fell on the vehicle right behind the candidate and went off. Several fragments and particles significantly injured a senior police officer, who is part of his security detail, together with a close associate of the candidate, who was injured while trying to place pointed nails on the car tyres to the police patrol pickup, to deflate them,” Enanga claimed.
Later in the day, NBS TV produced a video exonerating Ariho from throwing any explosive near Bobi Wine.
The footage showed that Ariho was not in possession of the teargas canister that exploded before injuring Bobi Wine’s friend Dan Magic and his police security detail head ASP Kato.
Speaking after Ariho’s arrest, Bobi Wine said his bodyguard was not arrested because of the ‘explosive’ incident, but because the state is trying to fulfill its plan of arresting, detaining and torturing his comrades until when the elections are over.
“Even when clear evidence came out showing that our comrade Nobert Ariho never threw the grenade that nearly killed us, as alleged by police, they have gone ahead and arrested him violently, bundled him onto a police truck and drove him to an unknown destination! The same police officer called Asiimwe, who continues to follow us and cause mayhem commandeered his arrest! Definitely they are so ashamed of themselves and simply want to prove a point! We are aware of their plan to arrest, torture and detain many more people that I work with until after elections. Too bad for them, Uganda is far ahead of them,” Bobi Wine said in a statement.
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