8 killed in new wave of motorcycle thefts

Eight people have reportedly been murdered and 58 motorcycles stolen in a span of six months following a new wave of attacks targeting motorcycle riders in Lira and Dokolo districts.
Without providing particulars of the victims, Lango United Motorcycle boda-boda Association (LUMBA), the umbrella body of the boda boda operators in Lango, said the attackers usually rob the cyclists before killing them in cold blood.
Only six out of the 58 motorcycles stolen from Lira and Dokolo districts between January and June 2019, have since been recovered, according to LUMBA.
Currently, LUMBA, has 3,860 registered boda boda members.
“Between January and June 2019, a total of 58 incidents of theft of motorcycles belonging to boda boda riders were reported to LUMBA and only six were recovered. A total of eight motorcyclists were murdered in the process,” the secretary of LUMBA, Mr Moses Okuu, said.
Police and local authorities suspect female commercial sex workers could be behind the new wave of motorcycle robberies.
Mr Solomon Ojok, a boda boda rider in Lira Town, said the thieves always target motorcycles with new number plates.
Police statistics indicated that five new motorcycles are either stolen or robbed from boda boda riders in Lira, Dokolo, Oyam, Kole, Kwania, Amolatar, Alebtong, Apac and Otuke on a daily basis.
Most of these robberies are committed by smartly dressed women who disguise as passengers.
However, Mr Okuu said most of the suspects arrested over their alleged involvement in the motorcycle robberies are not always prosecuted.
He lamented that when they arrest suspects and take them to court, majority of them are freed on grounds that there is insufficient evidence to convict them.
In Kole, residents of Alito Sub-county, said they have resorted to killing suspected criminals over frustration saying a number of them are never punished will taken to courts of law.
“Here (in Alito) we don’t even bother to report to police. When we arrest a suspect, we kill them there and then,” a resident said.

Police speak
The North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr David Ongom Mudong, however, said suspects involved in motorcycle theft are always prosecuted. He further urged the public not to take the law into their own hands.
“They (motorcycles riders) are also stubborn and they are so disorganised. But if they were organised, it would be easy to trap these thugs. The fight against motorcycle theft begins with the owner. They should always ensure that the safety of their lives and motorcycles is guaranteed,” Mr Ongom said.
Police earlier this year said attackers have been using tools such as knives, hammers, and stones when robbing motorcycles, especially at night.
They asked riders to consider searching clients for weapons and installing GPS trackers.
Last month, police arrested a man suspected to be the ring-leader of a gang carrying out robberies and terrorising boda boda motorcycle riders in Kampala.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga later said they had made significant progress in recovering guns and tracking suspects involved in the recent robberies in greater Kampala and the Kampala metropolitan area.
A challenge now lies ahead for government and the boda boda business since the vice has spread across the country.

Black spots

Areas where several boda boda riders have been attacked and robbed of their motorcycles include Lango College Playground, Ober Kampala, Aduku Road, Ngetta Road, all in Lira District, and Dokolo-Kaberamaido road, Dokolo-Amolatar road, Kwera Road and Dokolo-Bata road in Dokolo District.