News

Bukedea: NRM MP Aspirant Explains Fateful Arrest,Serving Jail Time,Pins Anita on Sabotage

As preparations gear up for NRM candidates who were recently successfully nominated under the party ticket, all is not well with the Bukedea District Woman MP aspirants.

Just as the electorates in the District were preparing to front their incumbent Hon.Among Anita as an Opposed in the Party,then boom! comes Merab Amongin who has been serving her jail time.

Amongin was arrested on August 3rd, 2020 and arraigned before Bukedea Grade One Magistrate, Patrick Talifuna on two counts of selling classified drugs and operating unlicensed drug shop.She was sentenced to two years and nine months

Amongin who was reportedly forcefully stopped from her job where she was working as a Sub- Accountant at Koen Sub County, says the case only came up after she picked nomination forms from the NRM party headquarters in Kampala for the primaries.

“First, I was not found with the said drugs. But secondly, my case had dragged on and I was on bail. There was no need to arrest me and drag me to court as if I had skipped bail. This is a political move to frustrate my political ambitions but God will see us through,” she said.

Amongin told Kampala Sqoop that while in jail and by God’s grace,she was nominated and now she is in the race.

“I want to assure the electorates I have been successfully nominated and come September 4, I will appear on the ballot paper.”

Arrest and convictional ordeal

“When my niece Caroline Acom finished her nursing course, I opened for her a drug shop in Kolir Sub-county and in that place; business was going on well because we found prices of drugs really expensive and had to reduce our prices that’s when I saw that people liked the place.

Everything was fine and people really liked us and used to call it a pharmacy because I furnished it with mirrors and operated for a whole year,” she started the narration.

That aside, when I showed up my political interest, one day, Bukedea DHO,Stephen Ikodet called me saying he received call from state house ordering for closure of the drug shop.

I was really surprised to hear that from him because first of all, I opened the drug shop due to this high level of unemployment in the Country and by so, I was doing my best to make sure Acom earns a living. “I asked him how state house got to know of such a small drug shop and why they would be interested in such a minor matter.”

I never wanted this girl to divert her mind that’s why I had to help her open that drug shop since I educated her and the pharmacy was fully registered with National Drug Authority(NDA) and with NDA they can first allow one to operate as the licence is being processed.

So,when I declared my ambition to the public, the people of Kolir welcomed the idea and encouraged me to go for it.

“One day,Ikodet went and pretended to be carrying out a general inspection of the drug shops in the area and started with mine and to their shame, the place was very clean, everything was just on point but he told the cashier Ignatius Oluka, my nephew to pick for him a box of drugs and little did we know that he was taking photos of the boy.

Sister Amenya, who was part of the inspection team, told me there was completely nothing wrong with the place and that it was even one of the best of the places they visited.

They closed the place just like that, claiming the drug shop was operated by unqualified personnel. I thought it was the normal closing; one other drug shops go through as well.

“They denied the girl to write any statement and offered her a job in local Government which was even not advertised for.

That same Day,Ikodet called me and told me to go write a statement but  I told him the drug shop wasn’t mine and had only opened it to my niece.”

When  I refused to write a statement,I told my niece to go and attend to them since the drug shop was hers.they left her instead and went to arrest my Nephew in Kolir since he remained staying there,hoping that one day the drug shop will be opened once more.

They beat up the boy seriously while trying to force him to write a statement indicating the drug shop belongs to me but the boy told them the truth as he insisted that the drug shop is for him and his sister which I only opened for them.

Even when the owner of the drug shop gave her statement, DPC told her to say the shop is mine even the documents show that the girl is the owner of the shop.

So after a period of about four months, the police officers came and told me to write a statement and things ended there.

“When they arrested one of my agents Madudu, I went to check on him at police and his motorbike confiscated with allegations that he stole it even when he presented all his documents including the log book among others. That’s the same day they arrested me while on the roadside.

Then I was taken to Police and to Prison and while I was in court, I kept on asking them who the complainant was. They arranged the next month and that’s the time I gave birth.

After I had given birth only after a week, I went to court and found they had arranged Police officers Ainomugisha, Batasi and health inspector Ben Okou of which some of them even don’t know me.

This case dragged for so long,since 2018 ,the lawyer kept on doging and the case was kept all along not until nomination time.

From court they said they had exhibit of five tablets but to my surprise that day, they had brought in eleven tablets which they even filled in Police and refused my workers to sign.

I was subjected to two years and nine months in Prison for allegedly selling drugs of unauthorized drugs (Class C) in the drug shop.

Fortunately some of the well-wishers arranged and submitted nomination and now

There is even a time I was burnt in my house,but I survived,my husband was also imprisoned before I was sentenced.Over three filles were at some time again created against me that I was planning topple the Government but they were all canceled by DPP.

I used to hear the clerks saying that my case was not an easy one because Anita has interest in it and her camp although I have never heard from her mouth, those of Epilo used to tell me that there is a case they were just waiting for the right time to implicate on me.

“Why is it by coincidence that the case was brought up at the time of nomination and the time I declared my political ambition?” she wondered.

“Ever since I was born, I had never written any statement in Police but due to my political ambition,I now have over 20 cases in my life and I have been receiving calls telling me that I should leave Anita come as an opposed.”

I am not about to give up,I want to try my luck up to last,let her know that she is not an oppose, I am back. I will battle with her till the end and if she wins, I loose.

When asked to give a comment on the allegations by Amongin,Anita denied being behind anything happening to her.

On allegations from Amongin that Anita was using her driver a one Umar Kedi to block her when got to know of the petition against her,Anita wondered of when Amongin became her opponent.

She further promised to sue Amongin if she ever mentioned her name in line with the petition.

Anita denied knowing of any opponent.

“Let her put it in writing then I will sue her. I thought she was a convict.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button