Rwanda: Yampano Sex Tape Case - Court Rejects Suspects' Bail Appeal

The Nyarugenge Intermediate Court on Monday, January 5, dismissed an appeal filed by four suspects in connection with Yampano's sex tape case, upholding an earlier ruling by a lower court that placed them in a 30-day provisional detention.

The suspects are Cyprien Uzabakiriho, popularly known as Djihad; Patrick Ishimwe, also known as Pazzo Man; François Xavier Ishimwe; and Nestor Kwizera, who goes by the name Pappy Nesta.

They had appealed against a decision by the Kicukiro Primary Court, which on December 17, 2025, ordered their detention after finding sufficient grounds linking them to the alleged distribution of explicit images involving singer Yampano and his girlfriend.

The appeal was heard on December 29, 2025, at the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court.

In its ruling, the court held that the suspects had not established sufficient legal grounds to overturn the lower court's decision, finding that their submissions did not weaken the prosecution's evidence or warrant their release.

The court maintained that the suspects must remain remanded as initially ordered by the Kicukiro Primary Court.

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