pressug.com News 24 7
Related Articles
Viewers: 90,001
By Spy Uganda
Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has vowed swift action for those responsible for the brutal mob killing of national rugby player Sydney Gongodyo, declaring that the suspects will “understand the meaning of fear” as security agencies intensify the hunt for everyone involved.
Muhoozi’s strongly worded statement came few days after security operatives arrested Obed Mugwiisa, the boda boda rider captured in widely circulated video footage delivering what many believe was the fatal blow during the mob attack that claimed Gongodyo’s life earlier this month.
“This thug that killed Sydney will understand the meaning of fear. Justice will be swift,” Muhoozi said.
The arrest was made on Tuesday, coinciding with the burial of the fallen Uganda Rugby Cranes and Stanbic Black Pirates player in Sironko District, where family members, teammates, friends and hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their final respects.
Obed, who had reportedly gone into hiding following nationwide outrage over the viral footage, was tracked down and arrested by security operatives after days of intensive investigations.
Police spokesperson ACP Rusoke Kituuma confirmed the breakthrough with a brief but powerful message posted on X, accompanied by a photograph of the suspect.
“We have him,” Kituuma wrote.
Images released following the arrest showed the suspect seated inside a vehicle with his hands restrained by security personnel. In another photograph, he appeared dejected, sitting on a sack with his head bowed as residents and security officers surrounded him.
The suspect became the focus of public anger after videos from the June 5 incident near Frobel Stage in Bukoto showed him carrying a large wooden log and striking Gongodyo during the violent attack.
The blow sent the 27-year-old rugby player crashing to the ground, after which members of the mob continued assaulting him with kicks and blows from multiple directions.
His arrest brings the total number of suspects currently in custody to nine as investigators continue to pursue additional individuals captured in video recordings and CCTV footage from the scene.
The suspects currently under arrest include Noordin Ssebagala, Roden Ayebazibwe, Juliet Namukose, Elly Mondoni, Herbert Twinomujuni, Perigrino Katsigazi, Darlious Tayebwa, Hannington Tugume and now Obed Mugwiisa.
Police say investigations remain active, with detectives reviewing surveillance footage, mobile phone recordings and witness statements to identify every person who participated in the deadly attack.
What has made the case particularly heartbreaking is emerging evidence suggesting Gongodyo was an innocent victim who was wrongly targeted.
According to his family, CCTV footage reviewed after the incident showed that the actual thieves had snatched a woman’s handbag before escaping on a motorcycle. Gongodyo, who happened to be crossing the road at the time, was allegedly mistaken for one of the suspects when the victim raised an alarm.
Speaking during a memorial service held at Kings Park Arena in Bweyogerere, Gongodyo’s father told mourners that his son had no connection to the theft that sparked the mob violence.
Videos recorded during the attack further appeared to show the rugby player desperately pleading for his innocence as the crowd continued to beat him.
He was later rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital but succumbed to his injuries the same evening.
The shocking death of the former Makerere University student has sent shockwaves across Uganda, triggering renewed condemnation of mob justice and calls for stronger action against vigilante violence.
Security agencies have vowed not to stop until every individual involved in the attack is identified and brought before the courts.
, https://www.spyuganda.com/sydneys-killers-will-face-full-force-of-law-justice-must-be-swift-muhoozi/
