Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine, was forcibly removed from his residence on Friday and flown away in a military helicopter, his political party has said.
Naijaonpoint understands that this is coming less than 24 hours after a general election marred by violence, repression and a nationwide internet shutdown.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had earlier disclosed that he was effectively under house arrest after security forces surrounded his home.
However, late on Friday, his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), announced via X that soldiers landed a military helicopter inside his compound and “forcibly took him away to an unknown destination.”
The party further alleged that Wine’s personal security team was violently assaulted during the operation.
The development comes as President Yoweri Museveni seeks to extend his nearly four decades in power following a vote widely criticised by opposition groups and international observers for repression, intimidation and severe restrictions on communication.
As vote counting continued, Uganda’s Electoral Commission announced that Museveni had secured 73.7 per cent of the vote, while Wine stood at 22.7 per cent, with about 81 per cent of ballots tallied. Final results were expected by 1300 GMT on Saturday.
Throughout the election period, authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout, a move that drew condemnation from rights groups and election observers.
Wine, 43, a former pop star turned politician, has emerged as Museveni’s most prominent challenger in recent years. He is popularly known as the “Ghetto President,” a nickname linked to his upbringing in Kampala’s impoverished neighbourhoods.
Reports of deadly violence involving opposition supporters also emerged from other parts of the country.
A lawmaker representing the NUP in Uganda’s Butambala district, Muwanga Kivumbi, alleged that security forces killed 10 of his campaign agents during a raid on his home.
According to Kivumbi, the victims had been hiding in his garage when troops opened fire through the door.
“After killing them, the military continued firing,” Kivumbi said. “They ensured that they removed all evidence of the dead. What remains is only a pool of blood.”
Ugandan police offered a different account of the incident.
Local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said security operatives intercepted what she described as “a group of NUP goons” who were allegedly planning to attack and burn down a vote tally centre and a police station.
She said an unspecified number of the group were “put out of action,” while 25 individuals were arrested and charged with malicious damage to property.