Investigators seem to have a case of a cool-headed, steel nerved professional killer who assassinated the well known blogger Ibrahim Tusubira alias Isma Olaxes aka Jjaja Ichuli near the victim’s suburban home in Kampala on Saturday night.
Police Closed Circuit Television –CCTV teams at Kampala Central Police Station, Kira Road and Kira Division have ruled out the possibility that the killer trailed the vicyim’s movements.
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Security sources have intimated that the interlinked CCTV systems show Isma’s Toyota Hiace UBK 213 D moving without any suspicious vehicle or motorcycle trailing it until it branched off the road joining the access route leading to his area of residence where police cameras could no longer see it.
“Our cameras captured him in the co-driver’s seat and he was being driven by the person we have already known as Mathias Waiswa,” security sources said. “We have been told that Waiswa has been his personal friend and driver. Our analysis does not show any vehicle or motorcycle trailing him but his killer patiently waited for him.”
Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, has since confirmed that Tusubira was being driven by Waiswa who was not hurt during the shooting. Police have said that Waiswa is now being protected as a key witness.
“He was traveling in his motor vehicle, registered under number UBK 213 D, with his driver, Mr. Waswa Mathias,” ASP Owoyesigyire said. “Preliminary reports indicate that an unidentified gunman armed with an SMG opened fire on the vehicle, resulting in the fatal shooting of Tusubira who was seated in the passenger seat at the time of the attack.”
It is said that Tusubira’s killer arrived at the murder scene almost two hours earlier and was seen by locals who did not bother much about his presence. In fact, locals have since informed police that the killer was not masked, unlike in the previous gun murders.
“The locals saw him at around 7 pm and he kept walking in the same area,” said a security source. “The residents did not have any concerns since there were many other people walking to different directions in the same access route. However, they saw the same person briskly walking to Isma’s vehicle and opening fire in the co-driver’s seat,” security source said.
Asked about the description of the killer’s appearance, ASP Owoyesigyire said police CCTVs do not cover the murder spot. He, however, said police have realized that several private homes in the same spot have CCTVs that could have captured the whole shooting incident.
“The locals are still in shock,” he said. “But we are engaging those homes we have seen with CCTV cameras to share with us the footage. Once we get these CCTV videos, we shall be able to give details of the killer and how it all happened,” ASP Owoyesigyire said.
Security sources suspect that there might have been someone briefing the killer on where he was seated in the vehicle, the reason he did not bother shooting at the driver. “In murders where the shooter is not sure of the target, he ensures that all occupants are killed not to give the target any chance. But in this case, the shooter was very sure and this makes us suspect that there was a person who had seen Isma boarding the vehicle, and shared that information to the killer,” source said.
Tusubira’s murder has since been condemned by many Ugandans including Parliament Speaker Anita Among and Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who have tasked police to swiftly investigate the killing and apprehend the perpetrators.
