Police recover stolen truck with 34 tons of kerosene

Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Police have recovered a fuel truck that was robbed at gunpoint along the Iganga-Jinja highway on October 21, 2023. In a statement published on the Uganda Police website Tuesday , Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga says that the Kiira Regional Territorial Police intercepted the Mercedes Benz truck registration number UAU 402E in Jinja city.

According to Enanga, five thugs intercepted the truck around 9 p.m. enroute to Kampala and placed the driver at gunpoint. The truck was transporting 34 tons of kerosene from Kenya to the Prompet Energies Ltd depot in Kampala. He explains that the thugs dragged out the driver, Abdul Nuru, a Somali national from Kisumu, Kenya tied his hands and legs, bundled him into the boot of a Toyota Wish, whose number plate was not identified, and dumped him in Kakira sugar plantation where he was found by the police.

Enanga also explains that they found the fuel intact and handed it over to the management of Prompet Energies Ltd. “Efforts are now in place to have the suspects who fled from the scene, identified, tracked down, and arrested for their criminal actions. The incident also shows that goods in transit, including fuel, continue to be targeted, especially at night, which calls for extra vigilance and target hardening measures,” he said.

He commended the prompt response and coordination by the Kiira region, Busoga East, Jinja City, and Iganga police, which led to the successful recovery of the trailer and its goods. “We further call upon all truck drivers to call the National Operations Command Center on telephone numbers 0800199399, and 0800199699   and report any suspicious activity,” he said.

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