Suspected cattle thief loses sh1.5m bar property to residents

______________

Tension is high in Serere district's Labour sub-county after residents confiscated property worth shillings 1.5 million belonging to Stephen Opolot, 27, as compensation for allegedly stealing a bull.

Opolot, who operated a bar in Akuoro trading centre, was reportedly caught red-handed at night in Alongo Ogera trading centre, Bugondo sub-county, with a bull belonging to Labour-based Obangin village resident George Obei.

According to local reports, the suspect was initially arrested by residents and handed over to the Police at Apapai Police post. However, he was released on bond and instructed to report regularly.

Upon discovering he had been released, angry residents re-arrested Opolot, beat him up, and seized property in his bar. The property is valued at about shillings 1.5 million. The items were taken as compensation for the alleged theft.

(Credit: Patrick Opolot)

Akuoro trading centre community residents further banished Opolot from Labour, warning him never to return. Eyewitnesses say the locals were enraged by what they perceived as Police leniency toward suspected criminals.

In his New Year address to the nation, President Yoweri Museveni directed Police to stop granting bond to suspects, which generated mixed reactions. It should, however, be noted that Police bond is a right for all suspected criminals. A person arrested and detained at a Police station after being suspected of breaking the law may be released until the Police completes its investigations. The guarantee that they will turn up whenever required to do so by the police is known as police bond.

In a dramatic turn, Opolot reportedly admitted to being found with the bull and acknowledged it belonged to George Obei.

However, Police at Apapai have condemned the community’s actions, urging residents not to take the law into their own hands.

"We understand the community's anger, but mob justice and confiscating property without a legal process are unacceptable. They should have re-arrested the suspect and handed him back to the Police," a Police officer at Apapai stated.

The incident has sparked debate on community justice, police accountability, and the dangers of mob action in rural communities.

Theft cases

A total of 7,222 cases of cattle stealing were reported to the Police countrywide in the period under review, compared to 8,442 cases reported in 2023, showing a decrease of cattle thefts by 14%, according to the Police's Annual Crime Report 2024.

A total of 9,514 animals were stolen, out of which 3,729 animals were recovered, while 5,785 animals were not recovered by the end of 2024.