One dead as thugs raid bar, torch it

By Fred Turyakira

One person suffocated to death while four survived with injuries on Wednesday night  when unknown thugs raided a local bar at Akatongore trading centre in Isingiro district with pangas and set it on fire.

The victims are Adam Kamugisha, a porter from Ntugamo district who suffocated to death; Justus Mpora, the bar owner, James Namanya, a farmer, Festian Kasajja, a porter at Ruterana’s farm and one Kiiza survived with cuts after breaking down the door.

The survivors were later rushed to Mbarara regional referral hospital for treatment.

Shocked residents of Nyamabare village, Masha Sub-county in Isingiro district who gathered at the scene were alarmed as to what the motive of the thugs who cut the victims with pangas, could have been.

Frank Muhwezi, a local councilor at Masha Sub-county told this reporter that thugs dressed in clothes similar to army fatigue attacked the victims who were drinking in Justus Mpora’s bar at 11:00 pm.

They entered the bar armed with pangas and started demanding for money. They later locked them inside before torching the bar using paraffin.

However, three of the thugs were later arrested. These were Junior Kiiza, 17, from Kagorora village, Nyakyera Sub-county in Ntungamo district; George Byaruhanga, 40, a driver from Masha, Isingiro and Omega Rukundo, a former student  at Nyakyera SS in Ntungamo.

The suspects were arrested in Masha after they were found hiding and Junior Kiiza who had a fresh injury on the head failed to explain how he sustained it.

Martin Abilu, the Rwizi region Police commander said the thugs set the bar on fire to kill the witnesses who could identify them.

He said crimes committed in the area are mainly at drinking joints that operate late in the night.

“There is a lot crime committed in this area because people pretend to be playing pool while monitoring people with money having sold their produce. However local leaders must restrict and regulate bars operating beyond midnight,” he said.

Abilu promised to improve security and asked local leaders to register residents for the training of crime preventers, increase on-foot patrols and creation of a police post in the area.

He said there were a lot of illegal guns in public and warned that police would shoot on sight thugs terrorising residents in the region.