Pandemonium broke out outside the Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court on Wednesday when plain-clothed security operatives grabbed two individuals leaving a treason hearing involving Dr. Kizza Besigye and forcefully threw them into a white “drone” vehicle. The shocking incident triggered outrage among Besigye’s supporters and drew strong criticism from lawyers, who condemned the brazen arrests on court premises.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of confusion as hundreds of people exited the courtroom. Suddenly, men in civilian clothes and suits pounced on two individuals, dragging them toward a waiting white drone parked opposite the court. One of the victims was lifted off the ground and thrown into the vehicle before it sped off toward the nearby Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) headquarters. As the drone drove away, screams filled the air as onlookers shouted for the victims’ safety. In the chaos, one furious supporter reportedly punched one of the arresting officers, prompting a swift reaction from uniformed Joint Anti-Terrorism (JAT) operatives in a double-cabin vehicle, who quickly moved in to escort the drone away.

Counter-terrorism officers stationed at the court attempted to pursue the drone but were outmaneuvered by the speed of the vehicle and its plain-clothed escorts. Harold Kaija, the Secretary General of the Patriotic Front for Freedom (PFF), a breakaway faction of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), later confirmed that one of those arrested was Umar Katongole, a councilor from Kira Division. Sources revealed that Katongole’s arrest might be connected to an earlier disturbance inside the courtroom.

Before the court session began, Besigye’s supporters had reportedly chased out a man they suspected of being a state spy. The individual had been secretly taking pictures of the supporters while sitting among them, raising suspicions that he was a government informant. Other sources claimed that Katongole and another person had been singing songs critical of President Museveni and his son, the Chief of Defence Forces, before the hearing started. Supporters were also heard singing defiant songs in support of Besigye and his co-accused, encouraging them not to give up and declaring that Museveni and his son would one day die while Besigye’s group would prevail.

The arrests sparked immediate condemnation from human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza, who has himself been a victim of similar abductions from court premises. “Courts are supposed to be sanctuaries of liberty, not dangerous scenes of arrests by security operatives,” Kiiza said angrily. “These arrests in court precincts intimidate people and discourage them from accessing justice because the courts no longer feel like the safe havens the Constitution intended them to be.”

The use of drones—unmarked vehicles used by security agencies to carry out arrests—has become a highly controversial practice in Uganda, particularly targeting individuals perceived as opponents of the government. Despite repeated public outcry and court orders meant to protect human rights, such incidents continue to occur, raising serious concerns about the erosion of due process and the rule of law. Many fear that these brazen arrests, especially in court premises where people expect protection, signal a growing disregard for legal safeguards and an increasing climate of fear.

The incident at Nakawa Court is just the latest in a series of similar operations that have left citizens questioning the commitment of security agencies to lawful conduct. As the drone disappeared toward the CMI headquarters, the crowd outside the court was left in shock, their anger and frustration boiling over. The question on many lips was simple: if arrests can happen so boldly in court, where else is safe?

For now, the whereabouts of the two individuals remain unknown, and their families are left in anguish, waiting for answers that may never come. The repeated use of drones and the impunity with which security operatives carry out such arrests continue to cast a dark shadow over Uganda’s justice system, leaving many to wonder whether the courts can still be trusted as places where justice prevails.