POLICE | LAND | GRABBING

MPIGI - Deputy Inspector General of Police (IGP) Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Katsigazi Tumusiime has warned all police officers, especially those in Mpigi district against conniving with land grabbers to evict people from their land.

Tumusiime says these errant Police officers, who connive with land brokers and registrars at area land offices to evict people, will be arrested and face the law.

He says they are already investigating suspected errant officers, who will be arrested after investigations are complete.

Katsigazi made the warning while on a visit to Katonga policing region where he held a series of meetings with area Police commanders, regional Police commanders, CIDS, DISOs, CMI, and RDCs from the three districts which make up Katonga region: Mpigi, Gomba and Butambala. 

This was at Mpigi district headquarters on November 16, 2022.

Katsigazi said his visit to the area was intended to check on Police readiness and operational posture to manage the threats coming up including armed assailants who attack Police installations.

"We have witnessed rampant crimes including those where armed criminals attack Police officers at stations or on duty intending to kill them and grab their guns. We have to look for ways of ending this type of crime," Katsigazi said.

He pledged that Police and other security agencies are working hand in hand to arrest all the suspects in connection with the attacks on Police installations and officers on duty.

Tumusiime is traversing areas of the Central part of the country to assess the security situation in this region amidst threats and heightened tensions arising from the recent spate of attacks orchestrated by gun-wielding assailants who attack Police stations to steal guns.

Attacks on security personnel where guns and lives have been lost

• On July 25, 2022, unknown machete-wielding men attacked a traffic police roadblock at Kiwumba on the Kampala-Gulu highway and killed a Police officer who was guarding the traffic police on duty. Guns were stolen.

• On August 1st this year, two officers attached to Kayabwe Police station, Paul NKolo and his colleague, Lawrence Otim, were attacked by armed people who were travelling in a vehicle. The attackers wanted to take guns from the two officers who were heading for night duty at a Catholic church at Mitala Maria, parish, Buwama town council. In the fracas, Otim was shot and injured, but the officers managed to save the guns.

• On October 31, 2022, armed men attacked Busiika Police station in Luwero district, shot and killed two Police officers and later disappeared with their guns.

• The most recent attack was last week on Thursday, November 17, 2022, when unknown people attacked and killed Sgt Simon Peter Eyagu, who was guarding Ambercourt road close to Gadaffi Barracks Jinja Cantonment. Two guns were also stolen.

According to the Deputy IGP, Geofrey Katsigazi Tumusiime, the Police, together with other security organs, are handling the matter and all the culprits behind these crimes will be arrested and charged before the lawful courts.