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Agago, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Residents and security personnel in Agago district have recovered 45 cattle from suspected armed Karamojong cattle thieves.
The animals were reportedly stolen during a raid at about 10 pm Tuesday in Mura East village in Ngora parish, Paimol sub county.
Paimol sub county chairperson George William Kilama says that the suspects were armed with guns, bows and arrows.
Kilama says the thugs estimated to have been more than five entered through areas of Murukanyebu, Nyecwai and Latiripeyo all bordering the porous boundaries with Kotido district.
He says the suspects surprised the local vigilantes who guard cattle within the community after nearly a month of experiencing relative stability.
Kilama says the vigilantes later mobilized their members led by the security personnel and pursued the thugs until they recovered all the stolen animals. He says the animals will be returned to the owners after proper identification is conducted.
Leonard Ojok, the Agago LCV chairperson who visited the area where the animals were looted from promised to strengthen security to boost livestock farming.
He notes that the recovery of the looted animals was as a result of quick intervention by security personnel from the two detaches of Labwordwong and Omiya Pacwa after five kilometres of pursuing the cattle thieves.
This is the second time armed suspected cattle thieves have raided Mora village in Paimol sub county in only one month.
Last month, 54 animals were looted by armed Karamojong cattle thieves from the same village but were later recovered by the army.
The presence of local vigilantes formed within the community has been commended in the fight against animal thefts in the area with so far more than 1,000 youth from 68 villages actively engaged in guarding the cattle at night.
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