Police Arrest 61 Suspected ADF Terrorists
The home of the suspected ADF terrorists
Police in Nawanjovu, Butaleja District have arrested a group of 61 people suspected to have a connection with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a famous rebel group in Uganda and DRC.
The group consisting of 5 men and the rest women and children were rounded up in their premises and taken into custody for allegedly getting involved in activities against the government.
Police spokesman in Bukedi North, ASP Moses Mugwe has confirmed the arrest of the group after trailing them for a long time.
“There are 6 heads of the group including one woman and 5 men; who are involved in kidnapping and teaching children terrorism acts.” Mugwe said, also revealing the name of their ringleader Mansoor Musinguzi who is currently in hiding.
The children that were rescued range from 3 weeks to 10 years with underage girls being sexually assaulted with a goal of giving birth to grow the community. Mugwe stated that the children in different age groups were undergoing training for an undisclosed purpose but their arrest came from being linked to a group of people that had been terrorizing police stations in the previous months.
“We suspect they are part of the terrorists that are killing police men and stealing their guns at police stations.”
One of the arrested women states that she was ferried from her home with the promise of a job which she didn’t find.
Residents state that the group has been around since 1998 and they have their own facilities like mosques and schools.
“They always hide if anyone comes to them for a conversation, especially the women. The men have their spokesman who is always delivering the message to them in case anyone outside the community wants to interact with them” John Muloda, the village chairman revealed.
He says the group was always against government programs like mass immunization and educating children until they approached the authorities.
“I call upon people to always be alert. Lookout for people who move into their villages and be mindful of what they do if they live by the laws. Report any suspicious activities.” Moses said.
The group is being held at Butaleja police station and after thorough investigations, they are to be aligned before court.
“We shall charge them for terrorism, kidnap, and child trafficking and involving them in activities against the law.” Mugwe told the media.
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