Turkey-based Ugandan anti-government blogger, Fred Lumbuye was reportedly arrested on Tuesday and taken to unknown destination.
Fellow bloggers claimed that he was arrested by Ugandan embassy in Turkey following attempts to renew his passport.
However, the Ugandan Embassy in Ankara, Turkey has denied involvement in the alleged arrest of popular blogger Fred Kajjubi Lumbuye.
According to a top diplomatic official said on Wednesday that the embassy is yet to receive any official communication from relevant law enforcement institutions of Turkey regarding Lumbuye’s arrest.
The New Vision quoting security sources confirmed Lumbuye’s arrest and revealed that a team of operatives attached to Uganda’s External Security Organisation, working with the Turkish security, tracked and arrested Lumbuye from his hideout in Turkey.
“He has been tracked for some time, and he was finally arrested. Lumbuye had several players behind him. It is time for truth-telling and for him to reveal whoever was involved in feeding him with falsehoods to cause acrimony,” a security source quoted by New Vision said.
Following Lumbuye’s arrest, several Ugandans in the diaspora who support him turned to social media to claim that he had been kidnapped.
However, on learning that Lumbuye had been arrested, they launched fundraising to get lawyers for him.
Lumbuye was reportedly arrested over a raft of offences where he has allegedly been using social media to spread false news and cause acrimony.
Meanwhile, the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) lawyer Muwada Nkunyingi has described the alleged Mr. Lumbuye as an attempt by President Museveni administration to suffocate Ugandans in the Diaspora through kidnap and illegal extradition.
Muwada who is also the Kyadondo East Member of Parliament says todate, there is no reciprocal treaty or bilateral arrangement that warrant extradition between Uganda and Turkey, adding that any attempt to extradite a Ugandan morover for housing Political divergent views is illegal under domestic and international law.
He says NUP is taking necessary steps to reach out to the Turkish Diplomatic circles to demand for Mr. Lumbuye’s whereabouts and unconditional release or rescue.
“All illegal attempts to suffocate Ugandans in the Diaspora through kidnap and illegal extradition and at times poisoning must be resisted and Condemned,” Muwada said, adding that:
“These constitute Human Rights Violation and defy multiple international conventions and Treaties. All efforts and approaches by Ugandan’s here and abroad that demand for his safety and Freedom remain important” he said.
The spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Department, Charles Twine last month said that security agencies had intensified their efforts in tracking down Mr. Lumbuye Kajjubi whom they say was the prime orchestrator of the devastating news of the ‘death’ of Mr. Museveni.
Twine said they were closely monitoring the social media conduct of Ugandans especially in diaspora.
President Museveni last month ordered security services to quickly investigate and follow up individuals who peddle false news on social media.
“We need to solve this issue. it is not security but an idiotic problem.. social media. Social media has been saying Museveni is dead. When I went to Bombo people were looking… Because they had been told by social media that Museveni is dead. Security service needs to solve that problem. They need to check and locate quickly, the one who tells such as story and waste peoples time. They should go for you, locate where you are and come for you. If you are in Europe, we denounce you. Say go to hell! he said.