Activist Praise Aloikin Opoloje Remanded to Luzira After Alleged Police Station Handover

Kampala — Praise Aloikin Opoloje, a Makerere University law student, human rights activist, and 2025 European Union Human Rights Defenders Award recipient, was remanded to Luzira Women’s Prison on September 28, 2026, until October 14 after appearing before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court.

The 27-year-old (reports also list her as 25) pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawfully using another person’s SIM card, contrary to Regulation 29 of the Regulation of Interception of Communications Regulations, 2024. Prosecutors allege that in September 2026 she used an MTN number registered in the name of Martha Nalapa Tasima (described as her mother) to execute an illegal activity in Rubaga and Kampala Central divisions. Defence lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime represented her.

The Carpet Summons and Disputed Transfer

On Saturday, September 26, Opoloje was summoned to Namungoona Police Station over a disputed carpet. She went with a friend (identified in accounts as Raus Ninsima or Louis), carrying the item and expecting to resolve a complaint that she had taken the wrong one from a washing bay.

According to the companion’s account and statements from Agora Discourse (a civic group she is associated with), the situation quickly changed. A man in a maroon shirt allegedly told them security operatives from Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS, formerly the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence/CMI) had been tracking her and would take her to the Chief of Defence Forces. She was then pushed into a vehicle registered UA875AC and driven away. The friend said officers pointed a gun when intervention was attempted and later claimed she was being taken to Entebbe Police Station “where they handle indisciplined people of her calibre.” Entebbe police reportedly denied knowledge of her.

The incident occurred hours after Opoloje shared a video sharply criticising Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, and the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

Activists and lawyers described the episode as a police-facilitated handover to unidentified armed operatives and an enforced disappearance. A joint statement by advocates including Eron Kiiza, Sarah Kasande, Phillip Karugaba and Andrew Karamagi stated: “A police station is not a holding pen for handover to armed men who identify neither themselves nor their authority.” The Uganda Law Society also demanded her immediate release and raised concerns about a pattern of enforced disappearances.

Police Response

Police rejected claims of abduction. Spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke said Opoloje was lawfully arrested for misusing digital/social media accounts and was in custody, ready to face the law. “We have laws in place against misusing social media platforms to attack other people,” he said, adding that she “knowingly used her digital account and offended.” Early reports mentioned a possible broadcasting-without-licence charge under the Uganda Communications Act; the formal charge presented in court was the SIM-card offence.

She was later held at Kampala Central Police Station before being produced in court on Monday, September 28.

Reactions and Background

Civic activist Agather Atuhaire criticised the remand, noting the charge of using a SIM registered in her mother’s name and calling for an end to “impunity and abuse of power” under the hashtag #FreePraiseAloikin. Opposition leader Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi) condemned what he called her abduction, described her as a vocal critic of the NRM government, and demanded her unconditional release.

Opoloje rose to prominence through anti-corruption protests in 2024, including the March on Parliament and a high-profile nude protest against graft. She has been arrested and remanded multiple times, reported mistreatment in detention, and continues activism focused on accountability, civil liberties and social justice. She is a final-year law student, mother, and has worked with groups including OpenParly UG and Chapter Four Uganda.

Supporters continue to rally online with #FreePraiseAloikin, framing the case as part of broader concerns about the treatment of critics and the use of technical or administrative charges against activists. Authorities maintain the arrest and charge are lawful responses to alleged violations of communications regulations and digital-platform rules.

Opoloje remains in Luzira Prison pending her next court appearance on October 14, 2026.