the gang shot and killed a boda boda rider
Police and the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) are investigating whether some top police officials and soldiers were engaged in the recent spate of robberies and murders in and around Kampala.
Most of the officers under investigation, The Observer has learnt, were implicated by low-ranking soldiers and policemen arrested during operations in December and January.
Speaking to The Observer during the parading of suspects at police headquarters Naguru on Wednesday, Fred Enanga, the police spokesman, said if investigations establish a link between the senior army and police officers to the robberies, “the accused officers will be arrested and prosecuted because no one is above the law.”
“When murders and robberies escalated in Kampala and other areas, security made joint operations to have the culprits arrested…,” said a high-ranking security officer.
He said the crackdown was carried out by teams from the police, Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), and Special Forces Command (SFC).
In interviews, security officials who declined to be named said during the joint operations, most of the arrested suspects were police and army officers.
“We have so far arrested 10 suspects but four are police officers and three army officers and only three are civilians but who have knowledge of guns,” one detective attached to CMI said.
“When these suspects were seriously interrogated, they revealed to us that they have been working on orders from top security bosses who they mentioned,” another source from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at Kireka said.
“These [implicated] officers are of high ranks and if we mention their names, they can interfere with our investigations and eventually kill the whole file,” the source said.
In interviews at Naguru on Wednesday, some of the suspects paraded at the police headquarters confirmed working on orders from high-ranking officers who they declined to reveal.
“I was lured into this business by my boss who has a high rank in police and I was handing all the money to him and he was paying me only 20 per cent of the collected money,” Corporal Tito Lutwa said.
He said his boss even gave him an extra gun and 60 rounds of ammunition. Lutwa, however, said that his boss warned him that in case he is arrested, he should never tell on him.
“I gave you the weapons but in case you are arrested in the act, you will carry your own cross,” Lutwa quoted his boss as saying.
He said by the time he was arrested, he had been involved in robberies for close to six months.
“I have earned money close to Shs 80m and have constructed a house, bought four plots of land, one special hire [vehicle] and three motorcycles,” he said, adding that he made over Shs 300m for his boss.
In an interview on the same day at Naguru, Enanga said: “It is true that since November last year robberies and murders in Kampala have increased and people have lost their lives and properties.”
He said the secret joint operations have yielded good information about the robberies and lots of properties have been recovered. He said 10 suspects had been arrested, including four policemen; Corporal Lutwa Tito, PC Ochom Isaac, PC Ojok Michael and PC Ahimbisibwe Bernard alias Pastor.
Others are Alibun Ismail, Hajji Umar, Okabo Lowela, Mulongo, Tumukunde Geoffrey, Abusa Manisoor and Basiri Paluku, among others. Enanga said they have recovered an AK47 gun with 1,100 rounds of ammunition, phones, military shoes, TV screens and cutting materials, among others.The police is also investigating whether the robberies and murders are politically motivated to instill fear and panic among people. He said the suspects face charges of murder and aggravated robbery.
CITED ROBBERIES
Enanga said armed gangsters dressed in military uniform on November 15 at around 11pm in Kawempe robbed six people including a pharmacy, mobile money shop and over Shs 3m.He said on January 3, the same gang killed Stephen Kasirye before taking his motorcycle. On January 4 the gang also robbed Mugisha Umar, a businessman in Kawempe, of Shs 10m.
Enanga also said the gang shot and killed Darius Tukwase, a boda boda rider in Kazo, on the same night after he refused to surrender his motorcycle. And on February 4, the same gang robbed one Tumuhimbise of Shs 24m and two phones in Bukoto.
