news 27 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda: Activist Praise Aloikin 'abducted' from police station sparks outrage
Human rights activist Praise Aloikin has reportedly been taken from a police station by armed security personnel, raising fears for her safety and prompting widespread condemnation. Authorities have yet to comment on her whereabouts or legal status. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/fear-outrage-as-human-rights-activist-praise-aloikin-abducted-from-police-station-5611178
Ugandan human rights activist Praise Aloikin Opoloje, a recipient of the 2025 European Union Human Rights Defenders Award, has allegedly been abducted from Namungoona Police Station. The 25-year-old was reportedly handed over to armed security officers, identified by Agora Discourse as belonging to Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), formerly known as the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
The incident occurred on Saturday, September 26, after Opoloje had been summoned to the police station. She was reportedly taken in a vehicle with registration number UA875AC.
This alleged abduction follows a recent online video where Opoloje criticized General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, and the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).
The human rights community, including prominent lawyers and activists such as Eron Kiiza and Phillip Karugaba, has strongly condemned the event. They stated that a police station should not be a point for handover to unidentified armed operatives, labeling the police as accomplices in an enforced disappearance.
Legal experts emphasize that criticism of public figures is protected under Uganda’s Constitution, and recent court rulings have reinforced freedom of expression online. The advocates are demanding Aloikin’s immediate and unconditional release and are calling for an official statement from the Inspector General of Police and intervention from the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also denounced the incident as state criminality. Alarms have been raised across civil society networks under the hashtag #FreePraiseAloikin.
Praise Aloikin has a history of activism, including organizing protests for public fund transparency and facing arrest and detention in September 2024 following demonstrations regarding the Kiteezi landfill collapse. She was also a finalist for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
As of Sunday, September 27, neither the Uganda Police Force nor defense authorities have provided any official statement regarding Aloikin’s legal status, detention location, or potential charges. Her family and legal team assert that her unacknowledged detention violates constitutional rights requiring suspects to be presented in court within 48 hours.