At least 41 suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal attack on National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters during Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine)’s campaign in Gulu City earlier this month.
The Regional Police Spokesperson for Aswa–Gulu, David Ongom Mudong, said the suspects, accused of assaulting NUP supporters and looting property on December 6, were apprehended following a detailed review of CCTV footage and intelligence reports from the area.
“Through the analysis of CCTV footage and other intelligence networks, police conducted a well-coordinated, intelligence-led operation on the night of December 18, 2025, in Gulu City and its surrounding suburbs,” Mudong said.
He added that Aleng Fatuma, alleged to be the leader of the group involved in the attacks, was among those arrested.
“Among those arrested is Aleng Fatuma, who is alleged to have led the mobilization of suspected criminal gangs using various media platforms, including TikTok. Operations are ongoing to ensure that all accomplices are identified and apprehended,” Mudong noted.
The violent incidents sparked national outrage, particularly after the death of Joshua Leon Otim, a Senior Three student at Excel High School Mukono, who later succumbed to injuries sustained during the attacks. Otim was reportedly assaulted by gangs wearing National Resistance Movement (NRM) T-shirts.
NUP leader Bobi Wine has alleged that Otim was seriously injured when police and military officers, together with plain-clothes gangs armed with machetes and sticks, attacked and flogged him and his supporters during the attempted campaign in Gulu City.
However, the Uganda Police Force has rejected this account, describing claims that Otim died as a result of a confrontation involving security agencies and Bobi Wine as “false and baseless.” Police maintain that Otim was instead killed by four unidentified youths, still at large, who allegedly mistook him for a thief.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
