(The suspects. punch Credit: punch news)
Due to their suspected involvement in a global network of drug trafficking and document fraud that security forces in Kampala, the country’s capital, have dismantled, two Nigerians have been detained in Uganda.
The National Citizenship and Immigration Control, a division of Uganda’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, worked with other security agencies to organize an intelligence-led operation that resulted in the arrests.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Mundeyi Simon Peter, made this announcement in a message that was shared on its X handle on Wednesday.
A Ugandan native and a number of foreign accomplices were part of a “sophisticated drug trafficking network operating internationally based in Kampala,” according to the ministry.
A Ugandan businessman named Mr. Mugisha Keith King is at the center of the inquiry. According to the authorities, King is connected to several alleged illegal operations, such as identity fraud and drug trafficking, as well as shell corporations.
“Mr. Mugisha was detained in 2010 at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) while carrying cocaine that had been smuggled from Brazil. He is still a wanted criminal worldwide after serving a 12-year prison sentence in Kenya.
Along with his Ugandan passport, Mr. Mugisha also possesses national IDs from Kenya and Nigeria, as well as passports from the Seychelles, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. Additionally, he poses as a President’s Office staffer with a fictitious work ID, according to the statement.
He was also charged by the authorities with posing as military and government personnel and putting up a sign at his home that said “Ambassador’s Residence.”
Additionally, Mugisha was accused in the statement of organizing illicit activities with Nigerian nationals, including Chekwubechukwu, who was identified as his husband.
It is stated that Mr. Mugisha is working with a group of Nigerian citizens to coordinate these illicit activities.
The finding that his Nigerian spouse, Ms. Ikemefuna Winner Chekwubechukwu, obtained a Ugandan national ID under the false name Mugisha Winner Chekwubechukwu with Mugisha’s assistance is especially concerning.
She’s currently in Brazil on the run.
“Ikemefuna Testimony Udo and Ikemefuna Annointing, two Nigerian associates connected to this racket, are also under the Ministry’s custody,” the statement continued.
According to the ministry, additional arrests are being made in cooperation with foreign security partners.
During inspections of the suspect’s home and place of business, security personnel also reportedly found firearms and other materials, including a gun, a handgun, live ammo, several passports, identity cards, military gear, communication devices, and purportedly falsified official documents.
According to the statement, “Uganda maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards drug trafficking and the misuse of military hardware.”
It stated that all foreign suspects were the subject of ongoing investigations and immigration status reviews, and it asked the public to report suspected drug activity and security personnel impersonation to the appropriate authorities.
The ministry also stated that it would keep collaborating with foreign partners to capture any remaining suspects.
