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Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in Kiira region on Monday confirmed the arrest of 30 machete wielding men, whom they accused of terrorizing residents in the different parts of Jinja city.
The suspects were arrested on 4th and 5th February, 2023 following a public outcry over increasing cases of insecurity in Jinja city.
They were arrested from the areas of Bugembe, Namulesa, Mafubira and Wakitaka in the Northern division, in Jinja city.
Mohammed Babewo, a resident of Mafubira ward, in the city’s Northern division says that three machete wielding men who were riding a numberless motorcycle, rounded him off along the Jinja-Kamuli highway in late December, where they chopped his hand, before fleeing with two smartphones.
Babewo notes that he bled profusely and he was saved by well-wishers, who rushed him to a private health facility for further management.
Babewo adds that police detectives should thoroughly investigate the matter to ensure timely prosecution of suspects, which he says will reduce on such cases of criminality in the targeted communities.
Faridah Nabirye, a resident in Bugembe ward says that she was returning to her home on 30th January, 2023 at about 8:00pm, when machete wielding men hacked her left shoulder, before grabbing a handbag containing 100,000 Shillings and a smart phone.
Nabirye wants police to increase their physical presence in blackspot areas, where suspects take advantage of the security deficit to attack them unsparingly.
On his part, the Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi says that police detectives have intensified underground operations against criminals, where suspects are easily tracked down and charged before courts of law, arguing that such measures have contributed to the reduction of criminality.
Mubi notes that the suspects will face four counts ranging from illegal possession of opium, phone snatching, aggravated robbery and house breaking.
He has since called for cooperation by members of the public to form village security vigilantee teams led by their area LC1 chairpersons, which he says will ease the efforts of weeding out suspected criminals, from the high risk communities surrounded by major highways and slums.
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