By Hanning Mbabazi
Gulu: Police in Gulu have Tuesday fired live bullets and teargas to disperse a group of People Power supporters led by William Otim alias Bosmic Joyce Otim.
Bosmic, a popular musician in northern Uganda had gathered People Power supporters who included university students and locals under the People Power Northern Uganda Chapter. Bosmic and his team members who were clad on red People Power attires were addressing hundreds of people who included market vendors at Gulu main market when police forcefully dispersed the crowd. After cops being alerted about these developments, officers showed up and ordered them to disperse but they refused until police responded with firing teargas and bullets into the crowd, before arresting Bosmic and others.
The situation worsened when Gulu town residents and market vendors started throwing various objects at policemen, who responded by firing live bullets in the air as some security operatives confiscated the public address system that was being used at the rally. However, the locals eventually overwhelmed police and rescued Bosmci from the cops. In the ensuing stampede, Bosmic sustained a deep wound on the head and he was rushed to a clinic for medical attention. The order to arrest Bosmic was allegedly given by John Bosco Nyangkol, the OC Gulu Central Police Station, who said the meeting was illegal. Nyangkol said that “Four people have been arrested while Bosmic and and other members of his team are being hunted by the police to answer charges of holding an illegal assembly.” He noted that “The 15 youth who were reportedly NRM supporters do not represent the voice of the youth in the region adding that such a false endorsement was prompted by poverty, greed and political immaturity.”
Bosmic said that “Museveni has ruled for more than 30 years. We need fresh blood. We need our generation to steer the leadership in the country without Museveni who has been in power for long. The youth who endorsed president Museveni are greedy,” he said. Otim said “The youth are instead endorsing Bobi Wine as their presidential candidate in the 2021 presidential elections.” He said the rally was also intended to condemn the shooting of a People Power movement mobiliser in Amolatar last week. Moses Okot Junior, a Gulu-based lawyer who has expressed interest to contest for the Kyoga Member of Parliament seat come 2021 general elections, was shot in the leg and hand by a security guard attached to Amolatar Resident District Commissioner, Lillian Eyal. Bosmic accused police of harassing opposition politicians by dispersing their rallies yet the President is traversing the country doing early campaigns under the pretext of promoting wealth creation. The People Power Movement is a political movement that was established by Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, to rally Ugandans to change government.
