Thugs sell UPDF gun
Evidence. Ms Josephine Angucia displays the recovered guns in Arua Town. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO
What you need to know:
- Loophole. Law and order keepers say criminals are taking advantage of the porous border of Uganda, DR Congo and South Sudan to smuggle guns into the country.
ARUA. The police have recovered an AK47 gun belonging to the UPDF from suspects who were allegedly selling it to a Congolese national at Shs700,000.
Seven suspects have been taken into custody and three other guns retrieved in total, according to police.
Investigators are yet to establish how the army rifle loaded with 28 bullets ended up in civilian hands.
Preliminary inquiries show that the gun was obtained in Gulu and moved to the neighbouring Adjumani District in West Nile from where a commercial motorcycle rider took possession and began scouting for a buyer in Arua, more than 100 kilometres away.
“A boda boda man who is my friend and stays in Adjumani is the one who brought the gun to me to sell,” one of the suspects told detectives during interrogation, adding: “He (boda boda man) said he got the gun from Gulu and we should sell it at Shs700,000.”
This intermediary then reportedly picked Shs500,000 down payment from a Congolese businessman and had prepared to hand over the gun upon full payment.
The deal fell apart after the gun dealers disagreed on sharing of the proceeds.
Police say the suspects caught in Arua had been staging illegal night road blocks at Ala Bridge where they rob cash and motorcycles from Vurra Sub-county residents.
Since last November, gunmen have grabbed six motorcycles from owners within the Luku neighbourhood and Ajia-Ogoko Road.
The recovered UPDF gun was hidden in the ceiling of a house belonging to the son of one of the suspects. Both of them were arrested and are being detained at Arua Central Police Station.
Asked about the source of the illegal guns, Ms Josephine Angucia, the police spokesperson in West Nile, said some of them were smuggled in from neighbouring countries by bandits.
The Deputy Criminal Investigations Officer for Arua, Mr Richard Otwikende, said: “We are still verifying some of the guns that we recovered in Barifa forest and Aiivu
Victims
February 10: Morgan Egude was robbed of his motorcycle at gun point at Ala Bridge after he was lured by an unidentified woman who disguised as a passenger.
February 17: Armed thugs shot dead Festo Afeku during a robbery on Ala Bridge.
March 1: Armed thugs waylaid two people and robbed them.
March 14: William Endrionzi was robbed of his motorcycle by two armed men at Embevu Village in Vurra.
