Dismissed Ngora Prisons warder Lawrence Ampe has reportedly been abducted by armed men in Ibanda district

Dismissed Ngora Prisons warder Lawrence Ampe has reportedly been abducted by armed men in Ibanda district and whisked away to an unknown destination.

 

 

According to a post by lawyer and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire on her X account, the men who abducted Ampe first made a stopover at Ibanda Central Police Station.

 

 

“This brave young prisons officer @UgandanMind that risked his job to speak up against the regime’s excesses has been abducted from Ibanda” she posted.

She added, “The people that abducted him were in plain clothes but first made a stop at Ibanda Police Station”.

However according to a family source, Ampe was taken to Mbuya CMI headquarters.

“A source has told his family member that they are driving him to CMI (or whatever new name they are called) in Mbuya. I hope he knew he was risking more than a job” she said.

Recently, the Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) warned Ampe against addressing media.

The Prisons service spokesperson Frank Baine Mayanja warned Ampe in a communication that he is still bound by law under the service and isn’t allowed to speak to media about any matter relating to the Prisons Service in the country since he isn’t the forces spokesperson.

“Regarding ex-warder Ampe Lawrence, he is hereby warned and reminded that he remains bound by the Code of Conduct and Ethics of the Uganda Public Service, in accordance with Sections 4.8.3 II” the statement read.

According to the particular quoted section of the code of conduct in regards to communication to media, it states that, “Official information will be released to the media by officials who have been authorised to do so according to the laid down procedures”.

Towards the end of last year, Ampe through his X account called on the Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija to kick him out of the force officially to enable him move on with his life.

Ampe reminded commissioner Byabashaija of his dismissal and asked of him to enable him get the dismissal letter for record purposes and to enable him take necessary further steps from the force which has since blocked him on it’s social media accounts.

Following his dismissal from the service, Ampe joined the National Unity Platform (NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine’s campaign trail to canvass votes for him in Ngora district.

Ampe who was No. 17974, was dismissed from the prisons service in a letter dated December 17, 2025 following a Prisons council resolution with effect from December 9, 2025.

Ampe was dismissed over allegedly engaging in partisan politics and criticising the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) through social media.

However without an official dismissal letter, Ampe is still considered a warder under the Prisons service and this could put him a precarious position since he campaigned for an opposition leader yet he is still considered a serving officer without the dismissal letter.

Security agencies were yet to comment on the matter by the time of this publication.