Police have confirmed the arrest of human rights activist Praise Aloikin Opoloje, days after her reported disappearance from Namungoona Police Station sparked concern among activists, lawyers and friends.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said Opoloje was not abducted but was lawfully arrested and remains in police custody. He said she will be taken to court at an appropriate time.
“She is in police custody and at an appropriate time, she will be arraigned before courts of law,” Rusoke said.
The clarification followed reports that Opoloje had been summoned to the police station before allegedly being taken away by armed men who did not identify themselves. At the time, police and defence authorities had not publicly confirmed her whereabouts or legal status.
Opoloje has been involved in civic and anti-corruption activism and was among the organisers of the 2024 March to Parliament protests. She was also arrested in 2024 following her involvement in protests demanding accountability over the Kiteezi landfill disaster.
Her latest detention follows a video in which she criticised the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) and its leader, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba. The circumstances surrounding the video and its connection to her arrest have been discussed by activists, but police have not publicly established that it was the direct reason for her arrest.
Rusoke said Opoloje had used her social media account in a manner that police considered inappropriate.
“She knowingly used her digital account and offended and must have known she is not above the law. She will face the law,” he said.
Rusoke further warned that people who break the law should expect to be held accountable.
“You will be taken on as long as you break the laws of the country,” he added.
The Uganda Law Society has separately demanded Opoloje’s immediate release, while lawyers and human rights activists have raised concerns about the circumstances of her detention and called on authorities to account for her legal status and whereabouts.