As the football fraternity comes to grips with the mysterious death of Vipers SC midfielder Abubakar Lawal, the Venoms star joins a list of local sports personalities whose killers have never been brought to book.
The 29-year-old body was repatriated to Sokoto, Nigeria, over the weekend, but since his death, police have yet to come out with a final report about his tragic death.
The Nigerian import died under mysterious circumstances on Monday, February 24, at the Voice Mall Shopping Arcade, Bwebajja, along Entebbe road, where he had reportedly gone to meet a friend as per the primary police report.
On February 27, Vipers SC held Dua prayers in honour of the Nigerian player at St Mary’s stadium, Kitende, which were attended by hundreds of football administrators and fans from all walks of life. Lawal joined Vipers SC on July 18, 2022, from Rwanda’s AS Kigali as a replacement for Lobi Manzoki.
He featured in 60 matches, scored 12 goals with just an assist, and received only six yellow cards. He will be remembered for his key role during the club’s historical triumph of both the league and cup double in the 2022/2023 season.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH
During the Thursday Dua prayers, Vipers SC president Dr Lawrence Mulindwa urged police and other security agencies to carry out comprehensive investigations to arrive at a rational conclusion regarding Lawal’s enigmatic death.
Mulindwa’s request to expedite the final report on Lawal’s death reminded me of other enigmatic cases involving sports celebrities whose killers have remained unknown. The list is long, but just read on.
GERALD KIDDU
On May 15, 1997, mysterious circumstances led to the motor rally ace’s death at the age of 40.
His death shocked the motor rally fraternity in the country, but up to this day, no concrete evidence has been brought forward to bring his assailants to book.
MOSES NSEREKO
He was gunned down at Wampeewo flats at Kololo on September 15, 1991. At his death, he was the general secretary of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa).
He was also a football legend for both Kampala City Council (KCC) FC and the Uganda national team, The Cranes.
The legendary midfield maestro also featured in the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ghana, where he was named in the tournament’s team, which also had his compatriot, Phillip Omondi. His killers have never been found.
ABBOT SEBULIBA
Sebuliba, a lawyer by profession and a powerful SC Villa official, sustained fatal injuries from a gunshot along Lugogo By-pass. They rushed him to Mulago hospital for surgery, but on September 25, 1989, he finally passed away.
He was a former general secretary of the National Council of Sports and once served as Fufa general secretary, but since then his family has yet to get justice.
SHABAN MWINDA
Mwinda, one of Ugandan football’s rising stars of the 1980s, had his career cut short when he was gunned down on October 12, 1985, at just 24 years old.
He met his death at Mengo, a Kampala city suburb after he sustained two gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Nsambya hospital, where he died minutes later, but since then, no report about his death has ever been released.
FRED GENZA
Genza was head coach for Kampala City Council (KCC) Boxing Club. He was gunned down at his residence in Naguru in 1984. The tactician had just returned from Germany with his team. His family never received any report about his assailants.
STEPHEN KYESWA
He was assistant town clerk of Kampala City Council as well as KCC FC secretary. The soft-spoken and cool-headed official was returning to his home when gunmen sprayed his car with bullets, which finally killed him at the Golf Course along Yusuf Lule Road.
Like many unresolved issues, Kyeswa’s final report about his death never came out. Other similar cases include former Simba and Uganda Cranes defender Meddie Lubega, Ismail Kiggundu (Express FC), Francis Muwone (Police FC), Kent Lutaaya (KCC), Paul Olya (Nile), Dr Kamulegeya (KCC), and Okello Karama (Nile).
It’s not only sports personalities who have died under mysterious circumstances, but I have restricted myself to the subsector that I understand better.
hluzige@gmail.com