A Jinja based broadcaster attached to one of the local radio stations has become the latest suspect picked by the police to help deepen the investigations into the gruesome murder by shooting of Shaban Batabaire Malole by unknown gunmen on 14 May, 2022 at Buwenge Town Council, Jinja District.
Batabaire, a prominent sugar cane farmer was shot dead at short range in the chest and stomach from his Buwera East Village shortly after supper around 8pm.
The female broadcaster, identified as Jackie Nabatanzi working with Kiira FM 88.6 was picked Saturday evening and is being held at Nalufenya Police Station following clues that she could be having some valuable information.
Credible sources intimated to us that the seemingly pregnant journalist was the last person to have made a phone call to the now deceased Batabaire moments before he was gunned down.
She now joins 8 others including councilor Abbey Mwase (Southern Division) who have spent almost a dozen days in the coolers of the once feared Nalufenya Station when Gen Edward Kale Kayihura was at the apex of the police force.
Batabaire was shot seven times by two assailants who were riding on a numberless motorbike in the evening of Saturday before a family meeting scheduled to take place the following day to try to settle a staggering family feud over assets left by their father Hajji Suleiman Malole in 2006.
The matter had been reported under Ref: CRB 145/20229(murder).
Two suspects identified as Isma Malole and Nayimbira Kamuriat have since been remanded after appearing in the court over murder charges. A number of suspects are said to be in hiding but detectives are hunting for them.
A super customs vehicle registration number UBD 752K suspected to have been used to transport some suspects has been impounded and parked at the police station.
Detectives are said to be collecting data calls from a number of people before and after the incident which are being used to follow up possible suspects in the incident which has generated a lot of concern from the public and security agencies.
Sources at the police say 8 cartridges and 2 live ammunition were recovered from the scene but the man who released the bullets is still at large together with the killer gun.
Kiira Regional Police Spokesman James Mubi is reluctant to update journalists on the matter saying it’s not a must that the police give timely information to the media.
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