Skip to main content

Uganda army confirms arrest of priest over alleged state security threats

Father Deusdedit Ssekabira of the Catholic Diocese of Masaka in Uganda is in police custody for alleged “violent subversive activities against state” following his abducted from his office in Katwe, Masaka city, by men wearing Uganda Army uniform on Dec. 3, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Masaka

ACI Africa, Dec 17, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Uganda’s defense authorities have confirmed that a priest serving the Catholic Diocese of Masaka, whose disappearance earlier this month sparked concern and prayers from the bishop, is in the custody of security forces over alleged criminal activities.

In a Dec. 12 statement, the acting director of defense public information, Col. Chris Magezi, said Father Deusdedit Ssekabira was arrested in connection with what the military says is “involvement in violent subversive activities against the state.”

Magezi added that Ssekabira is being held as investigations continue. “Reverend Father Deusdedit Ssekabira is currently in lawful custody to assist with further investigations into the matter,” the Ugandan defense official further said.

According to Magezi, the case will proceed through formal judicial channels. “He will be produced in the courts of law and charged accordingly,” he said in his one-page statement but did not provide further details on the alleged activities or the duration of the investigation. 

The confirmation of the priest’s detainment follows days of uncertainty after Bishop Serverus Jjumba of the Masaka Diocese reported that Ssekabira, who is the assistant pastor of Bumangi Parish and the director of Uplift Primary School, had been taken on Dec. 3 at about 1 p.m. from his office in Katwe, Masaka City.

In response to his disappearance, the bishop directed special prayers, including a rosary triduum (praying the rosary for three consecutive days), calling on the people of God in his diocese to pray for Ssekabira as well as for the Church and the nation.

Jjumba said that efforts to locate the priest had been unsuccessful and he called for intensified prayers and legal efforts following what he called a kidnapping by men wearing “Uganda Army uniform, with a drone.”

In his Dec. 13 statement, Jjumba stated: “All efforts to locate him have so far been fruitless.” He described the incident as “a grievous wound inflicted on Masaka Diocese, the entire Catholic Church, and Father Ssekabira’s family.”

He said his diocese was pursuing every available avenue to secure Ssekabira’s safe return. “Masaka Diocese together with our lawyers are still doing whatever is in our means to get back our priest unharmed,” Jjumba stated. 

The Masaka Diocese is yet to issue a response following the statement on Ssekabira’s arrest by the Ugandan defense official. 

As the case moves toward the courts, attention is expected to focus on due process, the specific charges to be brought against Ssekabira, and the implications of the case for Church-state relations in Uganda.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SIGNIS Africa renews its leadership

SIGNIS Africa, the Catholic association for media practitioners, has ushered in a new board of directors. For the first time since its inception in 2001, women make up the majority of the board. The election took place on the sidelines of the SIGNIS World Congress happening in Kigali, Rwanda, from 03 August to 08 August 2026. Fr Fidele Mutabazi, a Rwandan priest of the Archdiocese of Kigali, was elected new SIGNIS Africa President. Read all   source https://www.vaticannews.va/en/africa/news/2026-08/signis-africa-renews-its-leadership.html
Post a Comment
Read more

Manila’s feast of the Black Nazarene draws 9.6 million devotees

The image of the Black Nazarene moves through dense crowds during the 30-hour procession in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 9, 2026. | Credit: CBCP News Jan 14, 2026 / 11:15 am (CNA). More than 9.6 million Catholics joined the annual feast of the Black Nazarene, one of Asia’s biggest religious events, seeking miracles and hope on Jan. 9 in the Philippines. In a fiery homily at the fiesta Mass, Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga called on politicians implicated in infrastructure corruption to resign, declaring “shame on you” as devotees braved a record-breaking 30-hour procession through Manila’s streets. This year’s Traslacion — the procession of the glass-encased image of Jesus Nazareno — lasted 30 hours, 50 minutes, and 1 second, from Jan. 9–10, the longest procession ever, according to Police Major Hazel Asilo, spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office. Last year’s procession lasted 20 hours and 45 minutes and drew about 8.1 million devotees. De...
Post a Comment
Read more

The "Thin Veil": Understanding the Communion of Saints

Have you ever walked into a quiet, candle-lit cathedral and felt like you were not actually alone? That is not just your imagination or the architecture playing tricks on your mind. It is a brush with one of the most beautiful and often misunderstood dogmas of the Catholic faith: The Communion of Saints. In our modern, "see it to believe it" world, we often feel isolated, as if our spiritual journey is a solo trek. But the Church teaches that the curtain between Heaven and Earth is much thinner than we think. More Than Just "Dead People" When we talk about the Communion of Saints, we are not just talking about the folks on the prayer cards. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 946-962), this "communion" is a three-part family tree that spans across time and space:  1. The Church Militant: That is us, the pilgrims still on earth, battling temptation and striving for holiness.  2. The Church Suffering: The souls in Purgatory who are being p...
Post a Comment
Read more