By Ivan Mwine
The police have revealed that former Kamuli Municipality Member of Parliament contestant Moses Bigirwa, who was arrested last week, was trying to extort Shs20Bn from the Deputy Speaker Hon. Anita Among.
This was revealed by ASP Charles Twine Mansio, the Spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate in Kibuli, who said that Bigirwa, together with other extortionists based in Dubai and elsewhere in the Diaspora, demanded for USD5m (roughly Shs20Bn) from Deputy Among so that they could be persuaded not to ‘expose’ her dirty secrets and criticize her through social media, Facebook live broadcasts by bloggers and radio talk shows in Kampala, among others.
The CID mouthpiece also revealed that prior to his arrest, some members of Bigirwa’s extortionist group had also been trying photographs Among’s private house and other properties in order to portray her as filthy rich government official.
He noted however that Bigirwa isn’t working alone because intelligence shows that he works with a network of several other people, some of who are in Uganda while others are based in the Diaspora, especially in Dubai.
Twine stated that; “This gang has been sending messages using Dubai numbers to Among menacingly demanding huge sums of money, threatening that if she doesn’t give them the money the Diaspora-based bloggers will expose her.”
He revealed do that upon being searched after arrested Bigirwa, a member of the National Unity Platform, was found with documents enumerating the other wealthy Ugandans, including some opposition leaders from NUP, who were to subsequently be targeted with money demands in return for their dirty secrets not to be exposed by Diaspora bloggers.
Bigirwa was reportedly arrested last week from Among’s residence where he had allegedly gone to receive the said bribe that would stop him and others from exposing her.
The arrest came shortly after an audio in which he was allegedly recorded asking for the bribe leaked and circulated on social media.
We have since established that besides Bigirwa, also in detention is blogger Pidson Kareire, of the Drone Media, who was arrested last Thursday after he published a story on his website in which he allegedly defamed Among.
In the said audio Bigirwa was recorded chatting with Ismail Badogi, a member of Rtd Maj. Gen. Mugisha’s ANT party and he is heard demanding for money from Among, who he threatens to expose if she does not yield to his demands.
Sources reveal that Kareire is facing charges of cyber harassment, Computer Misuse among others although he is yet to be produced in court since his arrest last week.
