28 bodaboda riders murdered in three months — Police

Bodaboda riders have been cautioned against working late hours so as to avoid risking their lives.

A mini survey conducted by Police on the killings of bodaboda riders in the last three months showed that many are killed in the dead of night, usually between midnight and 1 am.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said 28 bodaboda operators were brutally murdered during the time of the survey.

He said out of the 28 cases, 14 were murdered late in the night, and that only five motorcycles were recovered.

"We took 17 suspects to court and charged them. We are still hunting for the remaining suspects and the motorcycles," he noted.

Enanga was addressing the media at Police's weekly press briefing at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala.

He noted that many of the killers used stones, knives and hammers to kill their victims.

The survey shows that the killers mainly target new model Bajaj Boxers because of their resale value and parts.

"Most of the bodaboda riders affected move long distances to work. This gives these thugs time to plan and contact their colleagues. Riders should avoid long distances especially while taking new faces. You should also avoid hiring out your motorcycles for self-drives because that is how some motorcycles get stolen," he added.

Enanga asked all operators to start checking their passengers to know what they are carrying before embarking on the journey.

"If they do not want to be checked, do not take them," he added.

He also advised bodaboda riders especially those with old models to install tracking devices to help trace them.