Lira Police recover nine guns

Nine sub-machineguns have been recovered in a joint security operation in Lira district in the last three months, District Police Commander Godfrey Aropet has said, reports Ali Mao. Aropet told journalist at his office on Thursday that although the security situation in the district was calm, there were many incidents of robbery, where some foreign guests were robbed of large sums of money. He said the Police had beefed up security patrol and placed intelligence agents in the district, following a couple of robberies, burglary, theft and terrorism, which he said was a serious problem in the district. Aropet said the nine guns were recovered through the co-operation of the wananchi. “Recovering nine guns is not easy. In the course of recovering those guns, our officer was shot by the thugs. There are still many firearms yet to be recovered,” Aropet said. He said during the operation, 16 suspects with capital offences were arrested and one of them shot dead at Aloi sub-county in Moroto county. Out of the 16 suspects, five of them were on robbery charges, another on murder and one charged with terrorism. He said on September 7, a sub-machinegun was recovered from Pte Bosco Olwa, who was deployed in Bundibugyo, while on September 24, another soldier at Lira army barracks, Pte. Richard Okwir, and an LDU, were arrested for intercepting a Captain.