Police probes murder of four officers on duty

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police have raised the red flag over the upsurge of ambush attacks on security personnel, following the murder of four police officers in the last few months.

According to police records, four policemen have been killed in six deadly ambush attacks, and two Local Defence Unit personnel are surviving with serious injuries. This has raised concerns among the force’s top leadership on the actual motive of the attacks.

Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson explains that six serious attacks have been registered the in areas of Busunju, Wakiso, Mbarara and Soroti district, where four police officers lost their lives and guns were stolen.

The victims have been identified as Corporal Okech Alfred and PC Moses Kigongo, who were attacked on 07th December at Busunju police station and shot dead. The officers were responding to a robbery alarm. However, the people who purported to be victims of the robbery turned against the officers, disarmed them and shot them dead.

David Okiror and Emmanuel Okirima, both LDU personnel attached to Kakiri were attacked by about  five people who cut them with pangs and robbed their SMG rifles with two magazines and 120 live ammunition rounds on 25th of last month in Wakiso district.

It’s alleged that the victims sat on the roadside guard rails near the new Wakiso market along Hoima road waiting for a taxi, before they were gang attacked. On addition, Sgt Gideon Emuria was murdered and his gun taken on 30th November in Soroti district.

“Unknown people attacked Gideon, a police officer who was attached to Fire and Rescue Services at Soroti CPS while he was on his way to his guard post riding a bicycle,” Enanga said. “The assailants waylaid him and shot him dead using his own disarmed gun.”

On 08th September this year, Corporal Richard Agaba, the former officer in charge of Ruharo police post in Mbarara district was also gunned down while on night patrol after receiving information that armed robbers had attacked Step-up bar within his area of jurisdiction.

Enanga explains that a team has been set up led by Director Operations AIGP Edward Ochom to establish whether the attacks are by an organised group with unknown mission interested in harvesting guns from security personnel.

Enanga has rallied communities where these incidents have been registered to cooperate with police in fighting against the vice.

“We shall continue responding to calls in order to protect Ugandans, therefore any attack on security personnel is an attack on the community,” he said. “That is why we call upon these communities to avail us with any relevant information that can lead to the arrest of such criminals, as we step up our hunt for these missing guns.”

*****

URN