MERCURY: School director killed by mob in Buyende

Buyende, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  | Police in Busoga North has confirmed that Fredrick Ngobi, the Director of Citizens of Hope Primary School in Buwenge Town Council was one of those killed by an angry mob, reportedly because theym attempted to steal ‘mercury’ in Buyende district.

Ngobi was killed alongside his friend Julius Kiirya who are said to have hired  gunmen to surround the home of 70-year-old, Mutwaire Bamwegombye, a resident of Busiike village, in Buyende district to allegedly rob ‘mercury’ from him.

It is reported that the duo stormed Mutwaire’s house on Sunday and asked him to surrender all the mercury in his possession. But Mutwaire said he tricked them and upon entering his bedroom, he called his friends who rushed to his home within a twinkle of an eye.

Mutwaire says that upon noticing the raging crowds, the gunmen fled in a saloon car, abandoning Ngobi and Kiirya in the hands of the angry mob.

Mutwaire grinds rocks and mixes them with tar extracted from pine trees, coupled with other materials to design ornaments, which his grandchildren collect and ferry for sale in Kampala. However, early this year, there were rumors that he was extracting Mercury from the neighboring Kagulu rock, mixing it in ornaments.

Earlier, district leaders and security teams conducted a search in house, only to discover grinded rock powder heaped in old jerrycans.

Mutwaire suspects that the group of attackers might have worked on the rumors to storm his home, only to be killed by the angry mob.

Busoga North police spokesperson Michael Kasadha says that the deceased have been taken to Kamuli Hospital mortuary for postmortem. Kasadha also challenged the public to desist from engaging in mob justice because this frustrates efforts of bursting criminal gangs.

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