Fresh allegations have emerged surrounding the controversial security operation at the home of retired Lieutenant General Peter Elwelu in Soroti, with his wife, Patricia Apolot, claiming that the firearms reportedly recovered from their property were deliberately planted by security personnel. Apolot has strongly disputed the military’s earlier claims that weapons and ammunition were found at the family’s residence, insisting that the search initially uncovered nothing suspicious.

According to Apolot, a group of security operatives arrived at their home in Awoja Parish, Soroti District, at approximately 7:30 pm during the operation. She said some of the personnel were dressed in military uniforms while others wore civilian clothes. The officers reportedly questioned her about her husband’s whereabouts and confiscated her mobile phones, together with phones belonging to her sisters who were at the home.

Apolot explained that she informed the officers that Elwelu had left for prayers more than two weeks earlier and had not returned or communicated with her. She said the explanation angered the operatives, who questioned why a retired senior military officer would remain silent for such a long period. She reportedly challenged their reasoning, questioning why someone’s decision to stay away from communication should automatically make them suspicious.

The widow’s account further suggests that the security personnel searched different sections of the house, including bedrooms, drawers, the kitchen and bathrooms. She said the officers became particularly interested in a locked room where she had kept money that Elwelu had left for construction work. According to her, the soldiers insisted that the room could be hiding weapons, but she maintained that her husband would not keep firearms carelessly around their children.

However, Apolot alleges that the situation changed after some of the security personnel remained behind during the operation. She claims that the officers who stayed at the property deliberately placed firearms in the kitchen before later presenting them as weapons recovered from the house. “I think they were the ones that were sent to plant the guns,” she alleged, insisting that there had initially been no rifles or pistols in the areas searched.

She also offered an explanation for the firearms reportedly associated with another family property in Anyara. Apolot said the AK-47 rifles in question belonged to soldiers who had previously been assigned to provide security for Elwelu. She claimed that President Yoweri Museveni had earlier promised the retired general firearms for personal protection, but the weapons and some security personnel were later withdrawn. She added that the remaining guards had their firearms kept away while they were at home.

Beyond the disputed weapons, Apolot accused security personnel of humiliating her husband through repeated surveillance and suspicious visits to their properties. She also alleged that more than Shs2 million disappeared during the operation, claiming the money had been left with her for construction activities. She expressed pain over allegations portraying Elwelu as someone plotting to overthrow the government, saying he had served the country loyally during his military career.

Her account comes amid growing public concern over Elwelu’s reported arrest and detention over alleged subversive activities. Military spokesperson Col Chris Magezi previously indicated that the retired general was being held in connection with the allegations, while Muhoozi Kainerugaba had earlier announced that weapons and ammunition had been recovered from one of Elwelu’s homes. Apolot’s claims of planted firearms have not been independently established, and the authorities have not publicly provided a detailed response to her latest allegations. The controversy has now raised fresh questions about the security operation, the evidence reportedly recovered and the circumstances surrounding the retired general’s detention.