KAMPALA . Calvin Tasi aka Bobi Giant ,one of the private body guards of National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi is among the party security agencies have arrested in the past two days .
Tasi was violently arrested on Saturday outside Riham Factory in Kawempe ,a Kampala suburb by armed soldiers who whisked him in a Toyota Hiace minibus commonly known as drone .
In his X post on Saturday , Mr Kyagulanyi said not only Bobi Giant , other party members in Katakwi District including Okware Jonathan who coordinates Teso sub-region, NUP’s Toroma County chairperson Ijonai Juventine among others had been arrested .
Some of those arrested had been nominated for local government positions in the district. They are currently detained at Kitakwi Central Police Station.
” Yesterday, NUP’s head of Mobilization comrade Buwembo Habib was violently arrested from Mityana district as he conducted a peaceful party activity.
The same day, comrade Richard Kavuma (Pastor RK Madogo) was once again grabbed and dragged off the streets of Mbarara city for preaching the NUP message, while in Mbale, several NUP leaders including its Bugisu Sub-region Coordinator were violently arrested for celebrating their nomination as NUP Flagbearers! All these comrades are currently in detention,” he said in the statement
Kyagulanyi said the arrests was a well-calculated scheme to silence NUP supporters countrywide ” this is not legitimate enforcement of the law but a well-calculated scheme to silence NUP supporters countrywide, while thugs who support the regime are left to roam the streets terrorizing citizens with zero consequences! We call on all Ugandans to speak out against this stinking impunity and condemn the cowardly repression in the strongest the possible!
We also demand the immediate and unconditional release of all our people unjustly detained for supporting us ,”
In response to Bobi Giant arrest , the UPDF spokesperson Gen . Felix Kulayigye confirmed that he was in police custody over his participation in the infamous military-like parade foot soldiers organized at NUP headquarters in February .
“If you are talking about Bobi Giant ,that one was arrested for taking part in the illegal parade, he is with police and will soon be arraigned in court ,” Gen Kulayigye told NTV .
In February, a social media video went viral showing Mr Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine inspecting a parade of his supporters dressed in red overalls and berets at the party headquarters in Kavule as they celebrated his 42nd birthday on February 12.
Several of Mr Kyagulanyi’s supporters have since 2021 presidential poll been arrested and prosecuted by the military court for wearing red berets.
One of them is Anthony Agaba, alias Bobi Young who’s currently on remand following his arrest last year.
A few days after the ceremony , Gen Kulayigye said the Army will continue court-martialing NUP supporters despite a Supreme Court judgment that declared it unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts over their “army-like conduct.”.