My life is in danger, MP Fungaroo cries out as suspected gunmen raid his Arua home
MP Fungaroo while addressing the media on the incident before his neighbours on Saturday. Photo Credit; Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA CITY – Obongi County Member of Parliament (MP) and the Shadow Minister of Security, Hassan Kaps Fungaroo has said his life is in danger following a suspected raid on his home in Arua by armed men in civilian clothing on Saturday morning.
The suspected gunmen, who were riding boda bodas and travelling in a white Toyota Wish, were spotted by residents of Ondoriku cell in Tanganyika Ward, Ayivu Division in Arua City.
Habib Wise, a neighbour of the MP, said he first noticed suspicious movements involving the same vehicle and boda bodas as early as midnight on Friday. The activity continued into Saturday morning at about 10:00am.
“This issue of insecurity started yesterday night before he (Fungaroo) arrived. That same vehicle which came here this morning moved here twice. I was outside watching. It came before Hon. Fungaroo arrived home and left, and later returned. This morning, a man on a motorcycle came ahead of the same vehicle and parked near my veranda while another stood at the kiosk buying soda. I immediately asked for my phone to call the chairman because I suspected something was wrong,” Wise recounted.
Hassan Sabir, the Ondoriku cell chairperson confirmed that the first man arrived on a motorcycle wearing a jacket and helmet, followed by the white vehicle. One of the men disembarked and went to a nearby kiosk, where he pulled out a large bundle of money to buy a bottle of soda. His hands were visibly shaking.
“When my brother came out, the man on the motorcycle thought he was being followed and sped off. I tried to stop him but he refused. I then approached the man on foot and identified myself as the LC1 chairperson. He said his name was Emma and that he came from Gulu, before walking away while on his phone,” Sabir explained.
Sabir added that as more residents gathered, the men in the vehicle sensed danger and drove off at high speed. He believes the group was targeting Hon. Fungaroo.
“Fungaroo is not only the MP for Obongi but a leader for the entire West Nile and Uganda. Nobody should play with his life. In a similar manner, we lost our brother, the late Hon. Ibrahim Abiriga. I want to thank the people of this cell for their vigilance. If the people of Maganjo had been as vigilant as this, Abiriga would not have died,” Sabir stated.
Fungaroo Speaks Out
Speaking on the incident, Fungaroo, who also serves as Chairperson of the West Nile Parliamentary Caucus, declared that his life is under threat from state security apparatus.
“My life is in danger! This security threat is not coming from terrorists, rebels or outsiders. It is coming from the State Security Apparatus of Uganda. I have seen attempts to kidnap me, including what happened today,” he said.
He recalled a previous attempt to arrest him from his home following the death of Hon. Abiriga, which was later dropped after investigations showed the mourning was cultural.
Fungaroo described how the men arrived in a vehicle with tinted windows and on motorcycles. When confronted by locals, they claimed they were from Gulu and were looking for him. The men wore civilian clothes, including an army-green T-shirt, jeans, and heavy jackets consistent with those used to conceal firearms.
The MP linked the incident to his recent remarks at the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) headquarters, where he criticized the kidnapping of former KCCA Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago and the continued incarceration of Col. Andruga, a West Nile son who commanded UPDF Air forces in Somalia.
He also pointed to what he described as the marginalization of the West Nile region despite its strong support for the NRM government, noting the lack of full cabinet ministers or Permanent Secretaries from the region despite a population of over 4 million.
“If I am being targeted because of the truth I speak, then so be it. This is not only a threat to the opposition but even to those within the NRM. If I am arrested or killed, the people of West Nile should wake up and end this. God will raise someone better than me to save this region,” Fungaroo added.
Farid Asiku, the male councillor for Tanganyika Ward to Ayivu Division, said the community stands firmly with the MP.
“We are going to stand with Hon. Fungaroo. We will not allow anything to happen to him,” Asiku promised.
By press time, there was no official statement issued by security officials of Arua city over the incident.