Over 20 petrol station thefts recorded this year
Jun 20, 2007
The gruesome Monday robbery at a filling station in a Kampala city suburb brings such incidents to 20 since the year begun, the Police said yesterday.
By Patrick Jaramogi
The gruesome Monday robbery at a filling station in a Kampala city suburb brings such incidents to 20 since the year begun, the Police said yesterday.
Police sources estimate that about sh50m could have been lost in the robberies.
“We have registered quite a number of such robberies but we don’t have exact details because some are interrelated,†said Martin Muwanika, the acting regional Police commander, Kampala extra.
On Monday, thugs shot and killed Wilson Mugabi, Dida Etyang and Shanita Naggawa in a night raid at GELP filling station in Nateete, a Kampala suburb. The deceased were the station manager, guard and a pump attendant respectively.
Security operatives have since recovered Etyang’s gun grabbed by the assailants during the raid.
The Police said the gun was dumped in a papyrus swamp a few meters away from the murder scene on the dilapidated Kampala-Kasese railway.
“We recovered the gun though it didn’t have bullets. We are on their heels and we shall get them. The fact that we have recovered the gun means we are heading somewhere,†said Violent Crime Crack Unit commandant, David Magara.
On May 12, gunmen attacked three filling station in Naalya, Nansana and Total Nsambya belonging to FDC president Dr. Kizza Besigye, where they robbed over sh20m in cash.
Muwanika yesterday repeated warnings from the Police to fuel station proprietors to employ more than two guards. Kampala has close to 300 filling stations.
The Police, however, accuse most private security guards of conniving with robbers.
By mid-morning life was slowly returning to normal, although there was still heavy deployment of security personnel at the filling station on the old Masaka road,
The proprietor, city businessman Godfrey kirumira, yesterday assured his staff of more security.
A pump attendant, who was at the murder scene, Sandra Nakabuye, said between sh800,000 and sh1m was stolen.
“We had banked most of the money from the day’s sales at 4:00pm. In fact what they took was what was sold in the evening,†she explained.
She said the filling station was a busy one, being the only one on the route. The station has been operational for two years.
The acting manager, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the station had six employees who work in shifts.
“The thugs take advantage of the single guards to attack and that is why we appeal to owners to employ two guards so that one can engage the thugs if his colleague is killed,†he said.
The gruesome Monday robbery at a filling station in a Kampala city suburb brings such incidents to 20 since the year begun, the Police said yesterday.
Police sources estimate that about sh50m could have been lost in the robberies.
“We have registered quite a number of such robberies but we don’t have exact details because some are interrelated,†said Martin Muwanika, the acting regional Police commander, Kampala extra.
On Monday, thugs shot and killed Wilson Mugabi, Dida Etyang and Shanita Naggawa in a night raid at GELP filling station in Nateete, a Kampala suburb. The deceased were the station manager, guard and a pump attendant respectively.
Security operatives have since recovered Etyang’s gun grabbed by the assailants during the raid.
The Police said the gun was dumped in a papyrus swamp a few meters away from the murder scene on the dilapidated Kampala-Kasese railway.
“We recovered the gun though it didn’t have bullets. We are on their heels and we shall get them. The fact that we have recovered the gun means we are heading somewhere,†said Violent Crime Crack Unit commandant, David Magara.
On May 12, gunmen attacked three filling station in Naalya, Nansana and Total Nsambya belonging to FDC president Dr. Kizza Besigye, where they robbed over sh20m in cash.
Muwanika yesterday repeated warnings from the Police to fuel station proprietors to employ more than two guards. Kampala has close to 300 filling stations.
The Police, however, accuse most private security guards of conniving with robbers.
By mid-morning life was slowly returning to normal, although there was still heavy deployment of security personnel at the filling station on the old Masaka road,
The proprietor, city businessman Godfrey kirumira, yesterday assured his staff of more security.
A pump attendant, who was at the murder scene, Sandra Nakabuye, said between sh800,000 and sh1m was stolen.
“We had banked most of the money from the day’s sales at 4:00pm. In fact what they took was what was sold in the evening,†she explained.
She said the filling station was a busy one, being the only one on the route. The station has been operational for two years.
The acting manager, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the station had six employees who work in shifts.
“The thugs take advantage of the single guards to attack and that is why we appeal to owners to employ two guards so that one can engage the thugs if his colleague is killed,†he said.