PLAIN TRUTH! Secrets why M7 knifed CID boss Akullo

OLD BROOM_ Knifed Akullo reportedly survived poison terror

Secrets why Gen Museveni removed the director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of police, AIGP Grace Akullo are being revealed for the first time. She has been replaced by Tom Magambo, who has been serving as director of intelligence analysis in the Internal Security Organisation-ISO. Gen Museveni had to first elevate him to a rank of Major from private and in doing so, Maj. Magambo jumped nine ranks.

Sources this newspaper talked to for this story intimated to us that Akullo’s health has been fragile for some time and activities had started paralyzing at CID. According to insiders, Akullo is suspected to have been poisoned and had to spend at least five months in intensive care—she last stepped in office in June 2021.

Sources say while she was on admission to suck the deadly substances from her body, she was struck by Covid-19 which saw her put on oxygen both in Kampala and Nairobi. It’s not known how she ingested the poison but it threatened to fail her body organs, a very fatal condition. Akullo’s absence from office for over five months remained a huge concern in the police circles although nobody spoke about it. There was a time when big people were dying of Covid-19 but her sickness was only known in close circles. Even when former DIGP, Lt. Gen. Paul Lokech died of a suspected blood clot following a fall from a chair, Akullo’s state of health was kept under wraps. The appointing authority however, took note and decided to relieve her of her duties such that she can fully recover. At some point, doctors had reportedly given up on her condition.

“She had become tongue-tied. A medical diagnosis showed she was suffering from nothing yet she was becoming weaker and unresponsive,” a source said.

But as a highly trained and fit officer with strong Luo blood, she had managed to fend off the nasty hand of the grim reaper which has not been kind to the police force in recent times.

The public may have noticed the unusually regular media appearances of the CID spokesperson, Charles Twine. That was meant to fill the void left by Akullo.

It should be remembered that the same Akullo narrowly survived death in 2015 when armed assailants attacked and shot dead former assistant DPP, Joan Kagezi, at close range in her car. Kagezi was only a few meters ahead of Akullo in an evening traffic hold-up. Up to now, some sources believe that Kagezi’s death was mistaken identity and that the real target was Akullo or that both women were targets but Akullo was the luckier one. Remember that both were working on sensitive cases involving big monies and terrorism. High level criminals are not good at tolerating anybody who puts their nose in their business.

Several questions remain to be answered: Was Akullo really poisoned? What substance was used and where did she ingest it from? What have police investigators discovered? Which case(s) was she working on at the time she was taken ill? Is she completely out of harm’s way? Is this part of the scheme of the terrorist axis which is said to employ a litany of methods to eliminate anybody who is on their trail including shooting, use of chemical and biological substances?

Terrorists’ strategies in the past involved direct confrontation—by shooting their targets using guns—victims include prominent Muslim clerics, politicians like Col Ibrahim Abiriga, security personnel like Maj Muhammad Kigundu, AIGP Andrew Kawesi, ASP Muhammad Kirumira, prosecutor Joan Kagezi and recently Gen Katumba Wamala. Then they started hacking with pangas men and women in Nansana, Entebbe and most recently in greater Masaka, Boda boda riders, Mobile money agents. They also attempted kidnaps and among others. The latest one has been using bombs in Komamboga and western Uganda bound bus. This implies poison terror will be the latest in their grand scheme of things to destabilize Uganda.

Sources further told us that there are some high profile cases which the office of the CID did not reportedly handle to the dot. The scandal of public service was reportedly mishandled and a lot of money exchanged hands. Sources also say the OPM scandal where then PS Pius Bigirimana made some exposes could have had an effect on her knifing. Sources also mention a scandal involving a controversial Kampala University (KU) degree which was awarded to Ali Joho, the Governor of Mombasa.

We have also learnt that camps had been created under her watch at CID. Internal wars, bickering with fellow officers were the order of the day. All these had slowed down activities at CID and change at the helm was inevitable. Split of responsibilities by creating SID in Kireka also reportedly weakened her. Former IGP Gen Kale Kayihura had also weakened her by creating a parallel CID office in Naguru in a rented huge house opposite Dott Services offices.