Rev Fr Deusdedit Ssekabira
Army admits kidnapping Masaka priest Ssekabira
https://observer.ug/news/army-admits-kidnapping-masaka-priest-ssekabira/
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has admitted being behind the kidnapping of Masaka Diocese priest Rev Fr Deusdedit Ssekabira.
Fr Ssekabira, assistant priest at Bumangi Parish in Kalangala district, was abducted on December 3 by armed operatives who picked him from the offices of his NGO, Universal Chastity Education, in Katwe Zone, Masaka City.
He was whisked away to an unknown location without explanation to his colleagues, family, or Church authorities, prompting days of frantic searches and mounting public concern.
His whereabouts remained unknown until Sunday evening, when the army, after nearly a week of silence, acknowledged holding him. In a statement signed by Col Chris Magezi, acting director of defence public information, the UPDF confirmed that the priest had been arrested by security forces over alleged involvement in “violent subversive activities against the state.”
Magezi said the priest is in “lawful custody” and is assisting investigators. “He will be produced in a court of law and charged accordingly,” he noted, without indicating when he is expected to appear before court.
The army’s admission follows sustained pressure from Masaka Diocese Bishop Severus Jjumba, priests, and relatives who have been demanding answers. On Saturday, Bishop Jjumba issued a public statement expressing “deep distress” over the priest’s kidnapping.
He said Church lawyers and family members had combed police stations and detention facilities for over a week, but in vain. The bishop declared three days of special prayers of the Sorrowful Mysteries, seeking divine intervention.
The UPDF statement also came just a day after the Diocese, through lawyer Alexander Lule Nkima, filed a habeas corpus petition in the Masaka High court, seeking orders compelling state security agencies to produce Ssekabira “in whatever condition he may be in.”
Lule said they are waiting for Fr Ssekabira to be produced before a competent court so that the exact charges can be known. He criticised security agencies for abducting the priest without following lawful arrest procedures, saying the incident has caused widespread fear among the faithful.
Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba, president of the Democratic Front and a relative of the priest, also challenged the state to bring him to court without delay and questioned why security agencies did not first engage diocesan authorities.
The arrest has triggered fresh debate about enforced disappearances, opaque security operations, and the treatment of religious figures who fall under state scrutiny.
