A serving Special Forces Command (SFC) captain, Yonasan Tibenderana, has been remanded to Luzira Prison over allegations of obtaining Shs 200,000 from a woman by false pretences while promising to help her secure an express National Identity Card.Tibenderana, 35, appeared before Nakawa grade one magistrate Rhoda Acham Ochom on Tuesday and denied the charge. The court remanded him until September 23, 2026, when the case is expected to come up for mention, and his bail application may be considered.Prosecution alleges that on September 1, 2025, at the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) offices in Kololo, Kampala, Tibenderana obtained Shs 200,000 from Juliet Apio, knowing that he would not be able to process the identity card as promised.Tibenderana’s lawyer, Enoch Byaruhanga, told court that the defence was ready to apply for bail. However, the application could not proceed because no prosecutor was present to update the magistrate on the status of investigations.The court subsequently ordered that Tibenderana be remanded to Luzira Prison until September 23. Tibenderana was arrested last week and his photograph was subsequently 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.The decision to display Tibenderana’s photograph has also sparked debate over service delivery at NIRA, particularly claims by some members of the public that intermediaries have, in some cases, helped applicants access services faster than through official channels.The debate comes amid concerns over delays in the issuance and renewal of national identity cards.Appearing before parliament on Monday, NIRA executive director Rosemary Kisembo said staffing shortages had affected service delivery. She attributed part of the gap to the expiry of the contracts of a large temporary workforce that had been recruited to support the mass enrolment and renewal of national identity cards.The post SFC Captain Tibenderana remanded over Shs 200,000 National ID bribe appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.