Hoima brick maker, cousin arrested over self-kidnapping in search for shs2m

Hoima Central Police Station (CPS) in the Albertine region arrested two young men on counts of engaging in self-kidnapping with intent to extort from their parents. 

Speaking of the arrest, Albertine Regional Police spokesperson SP Julius Allan Hakiza identified the two suspects as Ajuna Ian, 20, and his cousin, Job Tumukunde. They were arrested on June 28, 2026.

Both are residents of Hoima district.

According to SP Hakiza, the incident began on June 23, 2026, at around 8:00 pm, when Ajuna, a worker at a brick factory in Butema, left home to buy medicine from a nearby trading centre and failed to return

“At around 3:00 am on June 24, Ajuna’s mother, a resident of Kigerege village in Butema, Buhanika sub-county, received a phone call from an unknown person claiming that her son had been abducted while returning home”.

However, the phone caller allegedly demanded a ransom of shs 2 million for the release of her son, one Ajuna, threatening to kill him if the money was not paid.

The officer, however, said that this sparked police attention, with officers from the flying squad immediately launching investigations and tracking Ajuna to Kinogozi, where he was found hiding at his cousin’s home after allegedly staging his own kidnapping.

SP Hakiza said both suspects were arrested to assist investigations, telling tndNews, Uganda, that the case file has since been forwarded to the Resident State Attorney for legal advice before prosecution.

The Albertine Region is currently faced with the same incidents. Recently, in Kibale district, a man engaged in a self-kidnap to get money from relatives.

Hakiza urged members of the public to stop making false kidnapping cases and reports, saying such incidents waste security resources, cause unnecessary panic, and divert attention from other urgent public crises.

He further warned that those found involved in such acts will face the full force of the law.

“Take responsibility and work for your living rather than engaging in criminal acts to get from others,” he advised.