NIRA Employee Confesses to Orchestrating Abduction, 7 UPDF Soldiers Implicated

We wish to provide an official update regarding the recent abduction of Mr. Festo Ivaibi, the founder of Mitroplus Labs and the visionary behind the Afro Token project. This deeply troubling incident, which involved aggravated robbery and threats to his life, has presented an immense challenge — not only for our team, but also for the Uganda Police Force, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, and the wider blockchain and innovation community across Africa and beyond.

lex abused his position by accessing Mr. Festo Ivaibi’s personal and family information from NIRA’s data systems, including phone numbers.

In a major breakthrough, Alex Mwogeza employed by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has confessed to orchestrating the abduction in an operation led by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI). Alex abused his position by accessing Mr. Festo Ivaibi’s personal and family information from NIRA’s data systems, including phone numbers. This information was then used to track his movements and obtain location coordinates over a period of time and during interrogation, acting in collaboration with Batambuze Isaac, a known cryptocurrency broker,  facilitated the onboarding of seven UPDF soldiers from various guard posts and army formations to carry out the criminal act.

All the perpetrators have been apprehended by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), which has expressed deep concern and disappointment over the grave betrayal committed by individuals entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring public safety.

According to blockchain transaction records, the perpetrators withdrew approximately $117,000 and also swapped around $18,000 worth of Afro Tokens. Several transactions were traced to specific wallet addresses and smart contracts involved in the illicit activity. The funds were funnelled through major cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, Bybit, and HotBit. Among these, only Binance responded to official requests for Know Your Customer (KYC) information associated with the suspicious wallets, thereby assisting in the ongoing investigation into this case of industry malpractice..

Batambuze Isaac confirmed that the group was only able to withdraw funds from wallets that did not require multi-signature authentication.

Several recovery efforts are currently underway. Batambuze Isaac confirmed that the group was only able to withdraw funds from wallets that did not require multi-signature authentication. The remaining funds remained stored on mobile devices. During interrogation, Batambuze confessed to destroying the phone screens and disposing of the devices in a nearby pit latrine on the night of the incident. Authorities are now working to exhume the devices, with the hope that the remaining funds can be recovered from the internal storage or hardware wallets.

We applaud the dedicated efforts of the Uganda Police Force, Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), Binance, Uganda Revenue Authority, Counter-Terrorism Intelligence, and most importantly, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) for their critical role in uncovering the truth and advancing the process of bringing the perpetrators to justice.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Mitroplus Labs students and the Afro Token community across Africa and beyond for their unwavering support. Since the incident, Afro Token has not only recovered but surpassed its value from the night before. we remain firmly committed to transparency, community safety, and responsible innovation. We will continue to share updates in alignment with the progress of ongoing investigations and legal proceedings.

This incident highlights the urgent need for stakeholder engagement and clear policy frameworks for blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies on the African continent. While the technology is here to stay, the risks of unregulated or misunderstood use are too great to ignore. We urge policymakers, regulators, innovators, and enforcers to collaborate on building a secure, progressive environment that fosters innovation while deterring criminal misuse.

Mitroplus Labs Management