FDC Decries Military Raid On Erias Lukwago's Home As Gross State Interference

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The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has strongly condemned the violent arrest of prominent opposition lawyer and former Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, describing the morning raid on his Wakaliga home as a blatant act of state intimidation.

The opposition party issued the condemnation just hours after heavily armed security operatives, suspected to be drawn from the Special Forces Command (SFC), cordoned off Lukwago’s residence, scaled his perimeter wall, and whisked him away in an unmarked tinted van to an undisclosed location.

According to the FDC leadership, the abduction-style arrest is a desperate and calculated move by the state to sabotage the legal defense team representing veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and his political aide, Hajj Obeid Lutale, who are currently facing treason charges.

Addressing the incident, party officials expressed outrage over the increasing use of military force to resolve legal and political disputes. The FDC noted that arresting a lead defense counsel in the middle of a high-stakes national security trial is a direct assault on the independence of the legal profession and a gross violation of the constitutional right to a fair hearing.

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The party emphasized that the state is deploying military elements to strike fear into human rights advocates who dare to represent opposition figures. The FDC leadership highlighted that the timing of the arrest is highly suspicious, given that Lukwago’s legal team has been actively attempting to serve the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, with High Court summons related to the Besigye trial.

Party representatives argued that the government is weaponizing security agencies to shield top military officials from judicial scrutiny while simultaneously crippling the defense preparations of political prisoners held at Luzira Maximum Security Prison.

The FDC has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Erias Lukwago, warning that holding him incommunicado violates fundamental human rights. The party challenged the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces to officially declare his whereabouts, grant his family and doctors access, and present him before a competent court of law if there are legitimate charges against him.

Furthermore, the opposition group has called upon the Uganda Law Society (ULS) and the wider international human rights community to take a firm and vocal stand against the escalating harassment of legal practitioners in the country. The FDC warned that if lawyers are criminalized for performing their professional duties, the entire justice system is at risk of collapse.

As the political tension in Kampala continues to rise, supporters and party members remain on high alert, with many converging at various police divisions demanding answers regarding the safety and location of the seasoned human rights lawyer.