Metro

Ugandan man jailed 40 years for burning wife, three children to death

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2023

A 45-year-old Ugandan man, Vianney Armstrong Ahimbisibwe, has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of setting his wife and three children ablaze after an altercation.

The sentence was handed by Judge Samuel Emokor of the Kabale High Court on Wednesday, after Ahimbisibwe pleaded guilty to committing the crime in Habutobere Village, Muko Sub-county in Rubanda District.

Justice Emokor, while delivering the ruling, said although Ahimbisibwe did not waste the court’s time, he had “committed a grave crime of rudely taking away the lives of his immediate family members for which he should be punished severely.”

“While the convict asked for a lenient punishment, appeared remorseful and regrets his actions, the court contends that the offences he committed were grave and calls for a death sentence once proved guilty,” the judge said.

“Putting into consideration the submission of the state prosecution calling for a deterrence sentence by punishing the convict basing on the number of people he murdered, the fact that he did not take lives of foreigners but his immediate family members to achieve his pre-determined evil motives, he is hereby sentenced 40 years for each count of murder.”

“The sentence shall run concurrently starting from the day of issuing this judgement and the convict has the right to appeal against this ruling within 14 days in case he is not happy with it,” Justice Emokor added.

Ahimbisibwe had reportedly torched an apartment occupied by his estranged wife, Rovinah Muheki, 43, his sons Edwin Tumworobire, 17, and Westlife Akampumuriza, 15, and daughter Maria Akwire Akinamushabire, 5.

According to the prosecutor, the convict had separated from his wife following a misunderstanding and was staying in a different home.

The prosecution stated that on June 12, 2021, at around 8pm, Ahimbisibwe went to the deceased wife’s shop /bar located at Hisesero Trading Centre in Muko Sub-county, Rubanda District, where he found her with their children.

“He then started assaulting one of his sons (survivor), Bob Mathius Muheki, demanding to know why he did not finish ferrying sand on his construction site. But other residents intervened and rescued the boy from his father.”

“Later, when the wife and the children got home, a neighbour alerted them to take precaution because he had seen the angry husband hiding in an unfinished building next to their home.”

“Later at around 10pm, the neighbours heard people screaming inside the house, and found it on fire. All the occupants died in the fire. Investigations further revealed that Ahimbisibwe had been seen earlier that night at a nearby fuel station with a jerrycan.”

Related Topics:Crime Family Featured Fire Murder Prison Uganda

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

Published

6 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

12 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.