KAMPALA – The Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has confirmed the detention of Tasi Calvin, popularly known as Bobi Giant, a renowned political activist and key bodyguard for National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.
The confirmation follows reports of his alleged abduction earlier this week by unidentified heavily armed operatives in army uniforms. It was reported that he was whisked away in a drone to a military facility.
Army spokesman, Col. Felix Kulaigye, stated that Bobi Giant was formally arrested for his involvement in a military-style parade held at the NUP headquarters in Kavule, Kampala, earlier this year. The event, which featured party supporters marching in uniform and conducting drills, was deemed a threat to national security.
“The arrest is in relation to his participation in an illegal military parade that threatened the government in power and gave top officials in State House sleepless nights,” Col. Kulaigye stated. He emphasized that the activity mimicked a formal military exercise, which is illegal for civilians to conduct.
The army’s statement directly addresses earlier claims from NUP officials and human rights activists who had decried the incident as another in a long pattern of enforced disappearances and abductions of government critics. By confirming the arrest and providing a reason, the military aims to place the detention within a legal framework, however controversial the charge may be.
Col. Kulaigye added that Bobi Giant is currently being interrogated and will subsequently be produced in a court of law to face formal charges.
The arrest is likely to escalate political tensions in the country, with the opposition NUP party consistently accusing the state of using security forces to intimidate and silence its members. The charge of participating in a military parade presents a novel legal argument that will be closely watched by political analysts and human rights observers.
