Gunmen shoot motorcyclist dead in Gulu city

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Unknown gunmen have shot dead a motorcyclist in Gulu city. The gunmen shot the unidentified rider on Tuesday night at around 11:00pm near Manuel Primary School in Agwee cell, Pece-Laroo division in Gulu city along the Gulu-Kitgum highway.

Nicholas Otim, the chairperson of Acholi sub region Boda-boda Association who rushed to the scene, says that their findings indicate that the deceased was carrying two armed passengers. Otim says that the assailants took off with the deceased’s motorcycle, whose registration they are yet to establish.

According to Otim, the boda-boda leadership in the area was yet to establish whether the deceased was a boda-boda motorcyclist because they didn’t find any identification documents on his body.

Police took the deceased’s body to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital morgue pending an autopsy. Andrew Opiyo, the Aswa Region Police Community Liaison Officer, says that police have commenced investigations into the murder.

This comes after unknown gunmen also shot and injured a motorcyclist in Bungatira sub county on Sunday morning. At least ten boda-boda motorcyclists have been shot dead by unknown gunmen in Gulu city and its outskirts in the last five months.

In a recent interview, Emmy Ocen, the chairperson of Gulu West Boda-boda Motorcyclist Association told URN that the thugs disguise as customers to prey on the riders. Recently, Brigadier General Bony Bamwiseki, the Fourth Division Army Commander blamed the rampant gun violence in the area on the failure of the Ex-Lord Resistance Army fighters to surrender their guns.

*****

URN