Five suspected thugs nabbed

The five suspected thugs.

The Police and army in Masaka district have arrested five Congolese nationals for masterminding a series armed robberies that claimed at least five people in just four months.

The suspects identified as Muwomba Mungu, a cook at Good Foundation School in Nyendo town, and Ssemivumbi Mwizi, a cleaner at Kitovu Hospital and resident of Bujja village in Mukungwe sub-county plus three others, are in custody at Masaka Police Station.

Security operatives have been tracking the group since February following public outcry over the rampant robberies. They were later arrested on different days following intelligence information, but the sixth suspect managed to escape.

According to Herman Ssentongo, the Masaka Resident District Commissioner (RDC), they discovered a Sub-Machine Gun (SMG), which the group was using to terrorise Nyendo, Bwala, Bulayi, Kirumba, Lwanunda, Kayirikiti, Kayunga and others communities.

 Ssemivumbi Mwizi (L) and Muwomba Mungu the suspected gang leaders. photo by Davis Buyondo

In the subsequent search, operatives also recovered bullets, a hummer, dagger, face masks, forged national identity cards for Uganda and DR Congo in addition to other suspicious items from their hideout in Bujja.

Ssentongo added that the suspects would mainly target retail and wholesale shops, mobile money shops, cars and brand new motorcycles.

"Our Intelligence has established that Mungu and Mwizi were the gang leaders while their three accomplices sneaked into the country three months back to aid their operations," he said.

He further noted that the duo (Mungu and Mwizi) hails from province of Kivu in Eastern Congo adding that sneaked into Uganda in 1994 where they have stayed illegally since.

One of the deceased identified as Lawrence Jagwe was shot on Easter while several were injured in a robbery in Nyendo. Several properties, including an unknown sum of money were taken. 

On 2^nd February the thugs raided Cotton On Foundation in Bwala village and killed two of their staff.

Some of those injured include Jane of Kasana zone in Nyendo and Justine Nasaazi of Kayirikiti village.

Maj. Dan Atwine, the Intelligence Officer- Masaka UPDF Armoured Brigade, said the suspects would move in groups of three or less and sometimes more depending on the nature of the robbery.

"They admitted to killing and robbing people in the said villages. However, we took them back to the scene of crimes to corroborate information in their statements," he explained.

Atwine noted that in one of the robberies in Kayirikiti, the suspects mistakenly dropped a receiver cover of the said gun, which the police recovered at the scene. 

In military terminology, a receiver cover is the part of a firearm which houses internal components such as the hammer, bolt or breechblock plus a firing apparatus.

He said they are still looking for the sixth suspect on the run. The rest will be tried in court after complete investigations. In the meantime, security officials have enough witnesses who have recorded statements regarding the incidents.

Major Flavia Terimulungi, the Armoured Brigade spokesperson, appealed to residents to always report suspicious people to avoid similar incidents.