They Came Before Dawn: Wife Nalongo Zawedde Reveals Chilling Details of Erias Lukwago’s Abduction

The wife of Kampala Lord Mayor and prominent lawyer Erias Lukwago, Nalongo Zawedde Lubwama Lukwago, has broken her silence to provide a firsthand account of the dramatic events that led to her husband’s violent seizure by armed men on Monday morning.

Speaking from the family home, which remains under a heavy security cordon, Nalongo Zawedde described a pre-dawn operation that she says was meticulously planned and executed with military precision.

According to her, the ordeal did not begin with the abduction itself—but with a silent, ominous warning hours earlier.

“Before they took him, Erias posted on social media that two drones and a heavy deployment of security operatives had sealed off our home,” she recounted, her voice trembling but steady. “He knew something was coming. But what could he do? We are not armed. We are not soldiers. We are lawyers.”

She explained that the drones hovered above the residence for nearly an hour before sunrise, circling like vultures waiting for prey. Then, just as the family began to stir for morning prayers, armed plainclothes men stormed the property.

“They did not knock. They did not announce themselves with a warrant. They came through the gate and the side entrance simultaneously,” she said. “My husband was still in his sleeping clothes. He never even had his cup of tea.”

Nalongo Zawedde says she begged the operatives to at least allow Lukwago to dress properly and inform his clients, particularly Dr. Kizza Besigye, who is currently facing a treason trial in which Lukwago serves as a key defense lawyer.

“They laughed,” she said. “One of them told me, ‘Your husband’s only crime is defending traitors.’ I told him, ‘In a country with laws, defending someone is not a crime.’ He did not answer. He just shoved Erias into a waiting black vehicle.”

The armed men reportedly sped off as the drones finally descended, leaving behind a traumatized household and a neighborhood in shock.

Nalongo Zawedde emphasized that her husband is not a violent man, not a political extremist—but a father, a husband, and an advocate who believes in the rule of law.

“He is the president of the Uganda Law Society’s Public Interest Litigation Committee (PFF). He is defending Dr. Besigye in open court. If that is now an offense punishable by abduction and torture, then Uganda no longer has a legal profession—only prisoners who once wore gowns.”

She also drew a direct line between Monday’s events and the earlier abduction of another lawyer on Besigye’s team, Kiiza Ron, who was violently removed from court and imprisoned in January 2025.

“They are systematically emptying the defense bench,” she said. “First Kiiza. Now Erias. Who next? And while they suffer, Muhoohi glosts on social media. It is a theatre of cruelty.”

As of this publication, the whereabouts of Erias Lukwago remain unknown. The family has not received any official communication from the police or military regarding his detention or charges.

Nalongo Zawedde made a final appeal: “I am begging anyone with a conscience—human rights groups, the international community, even ordinary Ugandans—to speak. My husband is not a weapon. He is a lawyer. And lawyers must not be abducted for simply showing up to court.”

The Uganda Law Society has called for an emergency session, while Dr. Kizza Besigye’s legal team has announced that they will not proceed with any hearings until Lukwago is produced in court—alive, unharmed, and with his dignity intact.

For now, the drones are gone. But so is Erias Lukwago. And his wife waits by the window, still holding the cup of tea he never got to drink.