The Red Pepper publications directors and Editors have been dragged to Nalufenya hell hole over a story run by the daily on Monday.
Police on Tuesday evening cordoned off The Pepper Publications Limited premises situated in Namanve, along Jinja road a day after the newspaper published a story claiming that Uganda was planning to overthrow President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
The story headlined; "M7 plotting to overthrow Kagame - Rwanda" run on Monday 20th November 2017.
Now, it is believed that the 5 directors Arinaitwe Rugyendo, Patrick Mugumya, Johnson Musinguzi, Richard Tusiime and James Mujuni, and the chief editor Ben Byarabaha, as well as senior editors Richard Kintu and Francis Tumusiime are in custody at Nalufenya in Jinja district.
Red pepper lawyer, Dickens Byamukama, says police first searched the directors and senior editors' homes and later took them into custody at around 2:00AM. He says other staff were allowed to leave at around 10:00PM. He says the directors and editors were taken to Nalufenya, Jinja.
"They were taken to Nalufenya and we are wondering why. We were told that they will be brought back today to continue with the search. We are not sure when they will be released," Byamukama said.
The Police spokesperson Emilian Kayima told the press this morning that the company premises will remain cordoned off until further notice.
The ministry of foreign affairs in a statement on Monday swiftly dismissed the story as reproduction of a malicious article by a Rwandan online publication "Rushyashya" of an alleged plan by the Ugandan Government to overthrow the Rwanda Government.
The Ministry Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Patrick Mugoya, said the two countries are currently enjoying strong and cordial relations.
"The Ministry informed the citizens of both Uganda and Rwanda that "the continuous innuendo by the likes of 'Rushyashya' and various other media outlets both in Uganda and Rwanda, including The Red Pepper is mischievous at best, irresponsible at worst and meant to sow discord between our two sister nations."
The ministry condemned what it called abuse of the communication platforms the media houses "are privileged to manage."
