Ugandan Opposition Leader, Bobi Wine Forcefully Taken From Home by Army Helicopter

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was forcibly removed from his home on Friday and flown away in a military helicopter.

His political party has said, barely 24 hours after a general election marred by violence and a nationwide internet shutdown.

President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to extend his nearly four-decade rule following a vote widely criticised for repression of opposition figures and severe communication restrictions across the country.

Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had earlier said he was effectively under house arrest after security forces sealed off his residence.

Late on Friday, the National Unity Platform (NUP) announced on X that soldiers had landed a helicopter inside his compound and “forcibly taken him away to an unknown location.”

The party also claimed that Wine’s personal security team was “violently assaulted” during the operation.

As vote counting continued, Museveni appeared to hold a commanding lead. Uganda’s Electoral Commission reported that the incumbent had secured 73.7 per cent of the vote, while Wine trailed with 22.7 per cent, with roughly 81 per cent of ballots counted. Final results were expected by 1300 GMT on Saturday.

Authorities maintained a nationwide internet blackout throughout the election period, drawing criticism from human rights groups and international observers.

Wine, 43, a former pop star turned politician, has become Museveni’s most prominent challenger in recent years.

He is popularly known as the “ghetto president,” a reference to his upbringing in Kampala’s underprivileged neighbourhoods.

Reports of violence against opposition supporters also emerged from other areas of the country.