The Buganda Road Magistrate’s court has committed nine suspects to the High court for trial for the murder of 28-year-old Susan Magara.

The committed suspects are Abas Buvumbo, Yusuf Lubega aged 32 (boda boda rider), Hussein Wasswa, 22, (hawker) Muzamiru Ssali, 27, (boda boda rider) Hassan Kato Miiro, Hajara Nakandi, 35, (teacher) Abubaker Kyewolwa, 30, (businessman) Mahad Kasalita, an Imam at Usafi Mosque and Ismail Bukenya.

Court presided over by Grade One magistrate Robert Mukanza on Wednesday, said that the absence of the prime suspect Patrick Kasaija also known as Patrick Agaba couldn’t stop the committal of the suspects to the High court to face trial. Kasaija is currently in South Africa pending extradition to Uganda.

“I have noted that accused number one has never been in this court since the accused persons appeared here. In the interest of justice, I hereby commit accused number two up to number ten for trial in the High court,” said Mukanza.The ruling follows an argument made by lawyer Evans Ochieng who is representing the accused persons. Last week, Ochieng disagreed with the state prosecutor Patricia Akello who had said that court should commit the suspects for trial in the absence of Agaba.

However, Ochieng disagreed that under the Trial on Indictments Act, it is illegal to commit an accused person in absentia.

Prosecution  alleges that on February 7, 2018, the accused persons kidnapped Magara with an intention to procure a ransom, and on February 27, 2018 at Kigo in Wakiso district, they killed her.

Prosecution claims that in January this year, the nine suspects with others still at large, met at Usafi Mosque and conjured up a plan of getting themselves and their Muslim brothers and sisters out of poverty. The plot was to target rich people and kidnap them or their family members for ransom.

Magara was allegedly the first victim of this kidnap for ransom scheme hatched by a one Yakub Byensi, a former combatant with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels who hails from Bunyoro like Magara and is known to the family, as well accused number two Yusuf Lubega who used to work in Container Village with Magara’s mother.

Armed with insider information, the suspects, according to prosecution, started trailing Magara until they kidnapped her in Lungujja on her way home.

They allegedly first took her to Hajara Nakandi’s home in Nateete and later to Amir Bukenya’s home in Konge II Makindye from where they cut off her two fingers that they sent to Magara’s family to show their determination to murder Magara. After receiving the $200,000, according to prosecution, the suspects killed Magara on February 27.

They allegedly suffocated her with a polythene bag because she could have easily identified them given the time she had spent in captivity. The suspects, then on February 28 drove Magara’s body using Nakandi’s vehicle and dumped it in Kitiko. The vehicle was allegedly driven by Yusuf Lubega who was later tracked and arrested with his accomplices from Usafi Mosque.

Prosecution says it has in possession several exhibits including several properties recovered by police from the suspects that they had purchased using ransom money. Among the recovered items include land titles, motor vehicles (taxis) among others.

According to alleged confessions by the suspects, they never intended to kill Magara but while still being held captive at Nakandi’s home, she (Nakandi) received visitors. During their innocent conversation and unknown to them that Magara was hidden in one of the house’s rooms, they called out Nakandi by name.

Magara who was always blindfolded and mouth taped shut had heard Nakandi’s name and picked off the conversations of Nakandi’s visitors. On informing Byensi about what had happened, prosecution says, a meeting was held at Usafi mosque and two options were on table for Magara – be released or be killed.

Releasing Magara would expose the kidnappers, they reasoned as she could easily positively identify Nakandi and arresting Nakandi would lead to more arrests.