One Detained in connection with the Robbery, Kidnapping, tourturing Crypto (AfroToken) & Mitroplus labs founder

We wish to provide an official update regarding the recent abduction of Mr. Festo Ivaibi, founder of Mitroplus Labs and visionary behind the Afro Token project. This incident, which involved aggravated robbery and a threat to life, has been one of the most challenging moments not just for our team, but for the wider blockchain and innovation community across Africa and beyond.

We extend our deepest appreciation to the Government security agencies that have reacted very quickly and professionally to this matter,  local and international media, as well as the global crypto industry, for the overwhelming solidarity and support extended during this testing time. Your voices have kept the conversation alive and the pressure consistent, ensuring that this case receives the seriousness it deserves.

We are pleased to inform the public that the Uganda Police now has in custody a suspect, Phineous Biira, whose role in the crime has been confirmed through forensic blockchain tracing by international and local experts. Utilising the very technology we advocate for, blockchain analytics, we successfully followed the movement of the stolen funds and a large portion of the stolen funds to the Gun Men’s wallet leads directly to her digital/crypto wallets identified and confirmed through KYC by the Centralised exchanges used.

Upon her apprehension, the suspect initially resisted arrest and demanded to first call and wait for Major Charles Konyang Lepera who showed up at the scene and later at Kajjansi police station where the case  (File) had been transferred from Lubowa police station and Later for some reason transferred to Natete Regional police. Through this whole process, the suspect refused to disclose how she got the funds in her electronic wallet, parties involved, payments made, bank transactions, mobile money transactions related to the case or give any communications that may help the investigation but only relying on calls and connection to get her out of this.

Major Charles Konyang introduced himself as “a Major in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), works with the president in the state house and relative to the suspect.” We commend the Uganda Police for the professional, impartial, and firm manner in which they have continued to handle this case.

It is important to note that this same individual (Phineous Biira) has a criminal record of a similar nature, Uganda Vs Phineous Biira, registered under Case No. NAK-00-CR-CO-0340-2021, presided over by Magistrate Odwori Ponsiano Romans in 2021 with  CRB No. Jinja Road/472/2021. This reinforces our long-standing belief that while technology may be neutral, its misuse requires an equally sophisticated and serious legal response.

At least 48 Cases like this have happened in Uganda and have been dismissed at the influence of their ring. Following this latest incident, Many tourture victims have shared their stories and heart breaking pictures with the digital traders association and the police, previous perpetuators involved and vehicles used, some with UPDF registration plates in pictures and men in uniform. We are aware that the army is one of the most disciplined institutions in the country and such behaviour is highly condemned.

We also take this opportunity to profoundly thank the Mitroplus Labs students all over Africa and Afro Token community, our strongest pillar. Your resilience, unity, and belief in what we are building has been nothing short of inspiring. Despite this attack on a movement that represents the future of African innovation, you have held the line and demonstrated that a decentralized community is far more powerful than any single threat and obstacle. Most of the funds stolen were individual crypto holdings on metamask, uniswap, binance. Only $18000 from Afro token on tronlink was stolen and didn’t impact the market as much except the ones that panic sold on hearing the news causing a 16% plummet, AFRO TOKEN still holds strong amongst the top 10 memes by market capitalisation on sunpump written on the Tron network blockchain. “Afro is all of us, our culture, beliefs and community building together.”

This incident highlights the urgent need for stakeholder engagement and clear policy formulation for blockchain and crypto technologies on the African continent. The technology is already here, and the risks, if left unregulated or misunderstood, are too great to ignore. We urge policymakers, regulators, innovators, and enforcers to come together in building a secure, progressive framework that nurtures innovation while deterring criminal misuse.

As Mitroplus Labs and Afro Token, we remain committed to transparency, community safety, and responsible innovation. We will continue to provide updates as and when we are able to, in line with the progress of investigations and legal procedures.

Thank you

Mitroplus Labs Management