Police recover guns from thugs

By Vivien Nakitende and Ronald Mubiru

Intensified police operations continue to yield results with the latest being the recovery of two guns that were abandoned by thugs who were plotting a mission.

This follows a recent declaration by the Police that thugs would be shot on sight during operations especially if they opened fire at security personnel. The Police has  recently lost two of their own and had several injured by ruthless thugs.

The recovered guns were a riffle SAR 13282732-105575 and a SHE-GUN 234752-01295 that are currently at Kitebi police. One of the guns is believed to belong to Detail Protection Services.

Some of the bodabodas that were recovered from the washing bay

The guns were recovered from Nakayiza Zone in Kabowa and Masannyalaze Zone in Najjanankumbi. Police from Kitebi commanded by Juma Habende while on night patrol in the wee hours of Monday night found a group of youth congregated somewhere plotting a mission.

The gang whose members all managed to elude police left behind the two guns as they fled in disarray.

Habende said for a long time residents of Kabowa, Ndeeba, Najjanankumbi, Kitebi, Wankulukuku and the surrounding areas had been complaining of armed robberies.

The Kitebi police chief Abdul Hamidhu Kabojja said the operations to weed out these elements were still ongoing.

Meanwhile the Police have in custody four men who are believed to have been terrorising bodaboda riders by clobbering them and stealing their motorcycles.

The men were also arrested with a Toyota Noah, UAQ 488G which had blood in it. The car is believed to have been their means of transporting the stolen motorcycles.

The car was impounded at Ddida Parking and Washing bay in Masajja, Kibira Zone where police believe was their hideout. Five other motorcycles that had been parked for some time were found at the washing bay and also impounded.

The major suspect, Paul Kibirige who has homes in Masajja and Nabweru was arrested together with Robert Mutagubya, Badru Ntale and Samuel Ssemanda from different parts of Kampala and Kibuye.

Kibirige has been giving bodaboda riders sleepless nights

The Katwe police CIID boss Benon Ayebare said for long Kibirige had terrorised bodaboda riders and was being hunted by police. He said Kibirige was a serial jail bird for car and motorcycle robbery but he always made his way back on the streets.

He said at one time Kibirige, who is believed to command a gang of bodaboda thieves, fled to South Africa when the Police became hot on his tail.

Indeed Kibirige confessed having robbed over 100 motorcycles and that he commanded a gang of thugs operating in Kampala and Masaka and that they always sold them at sh400,000.