Jinja: A 30-year-old individual identified as Abudalla Haman Nuwagaba Ssempijja was apprehended by Jinja city police on Tuesday for allegedly engaging in masquerade as a State House official. This multi-faceted impersonator not only posed as a police officer, but also assumed the roles of a Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) personnel, a Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) representative, and a judicial officer.
Nuwagaba was promptly presented before the chief magistrate and charged with impersonating a public officer. He was subsequently remanded to Kirinya prison until August 21, 2023.
According to reports, on August 11, the suspect visited Jinja Central Police Station (CPS) and introduced himself as a State House official. He then instructed Detective IP Micheal Bogere to provide him with the case file numbered SRB145/2023 from Bugembe police station. The suspicious behavior prompted the police to verify the individual’s identity with Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Faruk Kirunda, who could not authenticate Nuwagaba.
Further investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly defrauded Stella Namakula of shs.6 million under fraudulent pretenses. He purported to be a senior UPDF officer and promised to expedite the release of Namakula’s husband, Brian Kato, who was held on aggravated robbery charges. Namakula, however, grew suspicious of his claims and reported the matter to the police.
Following Nuwagaba’s arrest, a search of his residence at Magwa Crescent in Jinja’s Northern division led to the discovery of forged court, police, and State House documents, as revealed by SP James Mubi, the Kiira region police spokesperson.
In light of this incident, the police issued a public advisory urging individuals to exercise caution when interacting with individuals of questionable character, especially within sensitive government offices, to prevent instances of fraud.
