A serving Special Forces Command (SFC) captain has been remanded to Luzira Prison after being accused of obtaining Shs200,000 from a woman by falsely claiming he could help her secure an express National Identity Card.
Captain Yonasan Tibenderana, 35, appeared before Nakawa Grade One Magistrate Rhoda Acham Ochom on Tuesday and denied the charge of obtaining money by false pretence.
The court heard that on September 1, 2025, Tibenderana allegedly received the money from Juliet Apio at the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) offices in Kololo, Kampala.
According to the prosecution, Tibenderana told Apio that he would process an express National Identity Card for her, despite allegedly knowing that he would not fulfil the promise.
Tibenderana, who is also described as a businessman in the charge sheet, was arrested last week in connection with the allegations.
Following his arrest, his photograph was displayed on NIRA’s “Wall of Shame”, where he was described as a conman and members of the public were warned against dealing with him.
His photograph was displayed alongside that of David Lutasingwa, who has not been charged in connection with the allegations.
During Tuesday’s court session, Tibenderana’s lawyer, Enoch Byaruhanga, indicated that the defence was ready to apply for bail.
However, the bail application could not proceed because no prosecutor was present in court to update the magistrate on the progress of investigations.
Magistrate Ochom subsequently remanded Tibenderana to Luzira Prison until September 23, 2026, when the case is expected to come up for mention and the defence may pursue his bail application.
