Musician kidnapped, eye removed, 2 fingers cut off

Aug 02, 2019

“My close friend and fellow artiste was kidnapped a couple of weeks back, beaten beyond recognition, his left eye plucked out, two of his fingers cut off, all his belongings taken and dumped in Mulago Hospital and left for dead,” Bobi Wine said.

A Firebase crew member who was reportedly abducted by unknown people while on his way to there studios in Kamwokya on Sunday, July 21, 2019, was later found dumped at Mulago with his eye plucked out and two fingers cut, Saturday Vision has learnt.

Michael Kalinda is popularly known as Ziggy Wine who was also a social media blogger reportedly went missing was kidnapped by unknown men and a week later unconscious with several burns on his entire body inflicted using a flat iron.

John Ssentamu the manager of Firebase Entertainment owned by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu the Kyadondo South Member of Parliament who is also known by the stage name Bobi Wine confirmed that Ziggy Wine was one of their members. "We got information on Thursday.  We haven't gotten concrete information about what could have happened to him, but we will try to visit them and find out more," Ssentamu said.

Bobi Wine also confirmed that Ziggy was his very close friend. "My close friend and fellow artist (Ziggy Wine) was kidnapped a couple of weeks back, beaten beyond recognition, his left eye plucked out, two of his fingers cut off, all his belongings taken and dumped in Mulago Hospital and left for dead," he said.

Bobi wine noted that Ziggy is in such a bad state that he lost nearly all his senses and now survives on God's mercy. "This is one of the very many saddening stories across the country sanctioned by the very people whose duty is to protect us. As we do our best to save a life in a very critical state, kindly keep our brother in your prayers," he added.

James Mubiru a political aspirant for the Rubaga North Parliamentary seat who worked closely with Ziggy Wyne told Saturday Vision they had tried together with his family to search for him once he reportedly went missing but failed.

"On Sunday, we received a call from a well-wisher who notified us that some unknown person had been dropped him at Mulago unconscious with burnt marks, 2 fingers had been cut and an eye plucked out," he said.

Saturday Vision has established that shortly after Kalinda was admitted in the casualty ward, he reportedly scribbled a family member's number on a piece of paper and the doctors later contacted them on Sunday evening.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango noted that they were yet to register a complaint from the musician's family but that they would investigate to find out who was behind the kidnap. "We will try to establish if it is true he was kidnapped. We will also wait for him to recover and record statements on whether he remembers where he was being detained," Onyango said.

He also noted that the family had decided to hide his fear after they received a threatening phone call from an unknown number. "As I speak now he is under medication at a place we shall not disclose for security purposes. His condition is so bad that they burnt the whole body with hot metal and he and currently he is unconscious," Mubiru said.

Saturday Vision was able to establish the exact location where the injured musician was being treated. The family was very suspicious of all those who were trying to call and establish how he was faring for fear that his attackers were still hunting for him.

One of the Sisters who spoke to Saturday Vision but did not want to be disclosed said that on the day he left his home in Nansana he called his other brother notifying him he was going to Kamwokya.

"Immediately he left, his phones went off. We didn't report to the police for fear. His bike has also not been seen since," the sister said.

One of the brothers only Identified at Ronald who said that they had received a call from an unknown number in which the person threatened them that they knew he was still alive and that would come back for him.

"We are scared as a family and we even don't want to receive visitors," he noted.

Cases of kidnaps in Uganda are not new. However, of recent politicians have accused security agencies of hunting down those it thought were against Government.

Early this year, social media blogger Ashraf Katto is commonly known as Ashburn was allegedly kidnapped, kept at an unknown place for 3 weeks and was later dropped back at him home with a severe warning that his kidnappers were still watching him.

One of the most shocking cases in 2018 was that of the kidnap and gruesome killing of Susan Magara in February 2018. His kidnappers asked the family members for a ransom but later proceeded to kill her. Several suspects have since been arrested.

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