Jolted by a gun fight in Gulu town that led to the death of a soldier and a police officer, security chiefs on Monday met and discussed the growing number of attacks on security installations.
Since the February 18 general elections, the police have suffered three attacks on its top stations in Kapchorwa, Kasese and now Gulu. However, the police have hitherto publicly dismissed each of those attacks as separate, isolated incidents. Monday's meeting was the first time that the force was attempting to connect the dots between the three attacks.
The March 6 attack on Kapchorwa central police station led to the death of one police officer while the March 23 attack on Kasese's Kidodo police station claimed two. As the security chiefs met and, among other things, discussed the involvement of security personnel in subversive activities, tension reigned in northern Uganda with reports coming of another brief exchange of fire – the second in two days.
The four-hour security meeting at Naguru was chaired by police chief Kale Kayihura, who chairs the Joint Operations Committee (JOC). The meeting was reportedly attended by high- ranking security officers, including from the UPDF. It is after this meeting that Kayihura brought a new dimension to the attacks; the alleged involvement of senior army officers.
Kayihura told a press conference at police headquarters in Naguru on Monday that he has information tying Col Dan Opita, who was arrested on Sunday, as well as four UPDF officers and police officers to planned attacks on two police stations in Kampala.
He added that so far 30 security officers have been arrested, including airbase commander Opita, four UPDF officers arrested in Kyengera a week ago, and a Captain Ojala, attached to Bombo military barracks.
"All the security officers who were arrested are linked to subversive rebel groups and are now helping us in our investigations," he said.
About the Gulu attack, Kayihura said police foiled the attackers' mission of rescuing a suspect who is facing murder and terrorism charges. He said security recovered six AK 47 guns, one PK machine gun, 270 rounds of ammunition, one SAR rifle, three pouches and a bow and eight arrows.
The attackers killed Cpl Moses Edema and injured four other soldiers. Later yesterday, police announced that the injured ASP Moses Masaba had died. By Monday evening, the army spokesman, Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, was reporting that they had arrested five of the attackers, including the overall commander of the group. He would not name those under arrests.
DEFIANCE "CONNECTION"
With the police linking some of the jailed army officers and the attacks on its installation to alleged plots to overthrow the government, the military battles have taken an uncanny political twist.
Last week, the newly-elected Nakawa MP Michael Kabaziguruka was arrested, with police spokesman Fred Enanga only saying the legislator had been detained over "some very serious offences that involve other suspects as well."
The FDC secretary for mobilisation, Ingrid Turinawe, told The Observer yesterday that police was trying to tie Kabaziguruka to rebel activity. FDC officials say at least 200 people have been arrested since February 18, in what police describes as a security operation aimed at calming the defiance campaign led by former FDC presidential candidate Kizza Besigye.
Some of those under arrested have now been roped into the alleged plot to overthrow government by use of arms. The suspects, arrested so far, include political leaders and security officers. But increasingly, according to security sources, the operation is fast morphing into a crackdown on subversive activity.
Besigye kicked off the defiance campaign after the February 18 presidential and parliamentary elections, which he claimed were rigged by the ruling NRM winning candidate President Yoweri Museveni.
"On 4th May, police in Jinja arrested 100 FDC supporters and charged them with being idle and disorderly yet that charge no longer exists," she said, adding that many of the suspects were later released on bail.
Turinawe said other party supporters were arrested in Kireka, Entebbe, Bushenyi and Fort Portal.
"At the moment more than five people are still missing and among them are Kahemba Babi, the FDC secretary general for Mutundwe parish, Lubaga division in Kampala city," she added.
ROOT OF TENSIONS
However, insider security sources said many of the small defiance campaigners were released on police bond and the more influential leaders were charged in courts of law and released on court bail. According to security sources, tensions mounted after some armed people started attacking security installations, killing officers and robbing guns.
"When such incidents started happening in areas like Kasese, Kapchorwa, Gulu and Namayingo we suspected it was not defiance but something else," a highly-placed security source said.
The source added that investigations have been widened beyond the defiance campaign.
"We all knew that defiance was based on politics but when security installations were attacked and guns taken, we got scared and widened our investigations," the source added.
He said it is widely suspected that some security officers are involved in plots to cause disturbances.
"We started investigating our security chiefs who we highly suspected that they had a hand in these attacks," the source said.
"What I can confirm to you is that in the last three months, more than 60 officers from the rank of lieutenant to colonel have been arrested in connection with the recent attacks on security installations and they are under serious interrogations but the public was not aware," another security officer said.
More security personnel are reportedly under 24- hour surveillance.
"There are high-ranking security officers who are being investigated under cover after information leaked that they were behind the recent attacks on security installations," the source said.
Security agencies are also investigating suspicious movement of people into the city suburbs such as Kasubi and Bweyogerere. When The Observer asked Kayihura specifically about this alleged ferrying of suspicious people, police Chief Kayihura said: "I have not got information about this. I welcome you if you have details. However, we shall crosscheck."
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