Police in Mbale District are investigating a serious incident involving obstruction of police officers on lawful duty, following an operation that turned chaotic during the arrest of suspects linked to criminal activities in Budwale Sub County.
The operation, which falls under CPS Busoba, began on 19/05/2026 at around 0300/c when a team led by Sgt Olinga Bernard, DC Wolinbwa Stephen, together with crime intelligence officers from Bufumbo Police Station and two vigilantes, set out to arrest suspects in Biduwa village, Buwanangaje Parish, Budwale Sub County.
The officers, who were reportedly armed during the operation under a sanctioned file related to malicious damage and grievous harm (Busoba CRB:48/2026), successfully arrived in the area at about 0500/c. They managed to arrest one suspect identified as WANIALE FAZALI. However, tension quickly escalated when they proceeded to the home of another suspect, NABUHOLE KARIM, who allegedly refused to open his door and instead raised an alarm that attracted local residents.
The situation worsened as an angry crowd gathered and allegedly blocked police from taking the suspect away. The mob is said to have been mobilised in support of Hon. Wanyenya Shafiga, who later arrived at the scene with a vehicle and blocked the road in Bukhumi village, Bunamaje Parish. The crowd reportedly forced police to release the suspect from handcuffs and overpowered the officers and accompanying vigilantes.
During the chaos, police reinforcements were called, including the District Police Commander (DPC) of Mbale, SP Abala Juventine, who arrived with a team and attempted to restore order. However, they found the road blocked with a concrete electric pole, making access difficult. Despite this, the DPC managed to engage the situation and later took control of the intercepted officers, while also being shown the scene of alleged damage involving police actions.
The team later proceeded back to Biduwa village, where they located the second suspect, NABUHOLE KARIM. However, during the inspection of the house, the situation turned violent again when another individual, identified as FAZALI, allegedly struck DC Wolinbwa Stephen on the nose, causing him to bleed heavily. The injured officer and others were later evacuated to CPS Busoba.
Following the incident, police opened a case of disobedience of lawful orders under SD:20/19/05/2026. All officers involved, along with vigilantes and boda boda riders who participated in the operation, were later detained at CPS Busoba pending further investigations.
Police confirmed that the original file under which the arrest was conducted had been properly sanctioned, and that officers had used firearms during the operation as part of efforts to control the violent crowd. Authorities also noted complaints from Hon. Magolo John Faith, who accused police of siding with opposing interests during the operation.
The incident has left several questions as investigations continue, with both the conduct of the police officers and the actions of the local crowd now under scrutiny. Authorities say further inquiries will determine the next course of action as calm is restored in the area.
