Captain Bosco Alepere, a UPDF officer who is among the 14 people accused of attacking Kabamba Army Barracks in 2014 today broke down in court while narrating how he was tortured by fellow officers who arrested him.
Captain Alepere is on defense in the Trial-within-a-trial which came up after he denied recording a statement that was produced in court by a Police Detective AIP Felix Tulihamwe. In the statement, the UPDF officer purportedly admits to have had information about the Kabamba Attack
During his defense, Alepere informed court that on 17th May 2014 he was arrested by one Lt. Col. Tingira from an army school in Karama. He recounts however that it wasn’t a normal arrest considering how he was grossly handled. He says he had his hands and legs bound from behind; he was blindfolded, boxed and slapped, and trampled upon the head.
The arresting officers led by Col Tingira, he says, grabbed him and covered his mouth, pushed him to the ground and tied him up.
“In the process, he says he heard one officer begging Col Tingira “not to kill the solider here.”
From here he says he was bundled on a vehicle and driven to Kabamba Hospital.
“Later on, the blindfold was removed and Col Tingira started asking me the whereabouts of the money I purportedly received together with Lt Col Philip Eguma on Mobile Money. I denied, and asked how I could have received money on the same number with Eguma who at the time was in Jinja,” he narrated.
Alepere says this angered his captors, who brought metallic items and placed them between his fingers and on pressing them he started bleeding. Out of fear and anguish he says he told them the money was in Masaka, Kasijagirwa Barracks; banking on the chance that reaching there, fellow soldiers would rescue him.
He says they drove to Masaka and didn’t find the money, after which point he heard them saying that they would proceed to Kampala.
In Kampala he says he was held in different dark rooms and tortured without being fed.
“I can’t recall the days I spent in those rooms; but I remember one day, some men came to interrogate me and told me that Col Tingira had warned them that I am big-headed,” he said.
“With all my body wounded from the beatings, one day they came, removed my cloths and they started pricking my private parts with sharp objects. I am willing to show all these scars if court wants me to.”
At this point the Captain, who was in tears, was unable to proceed with his submission which prompted the defense counsel Fredrick Semwanga to seek an adjournment for further examination.
Court Martial Chairman Lt Gen Andrew Gutti adjourned further hearing of this matter to next week and Alepere was further remanded to Makindye Military Barracks.