Police aiding criminals - Busia leaders
Residents and local leaders in Busia Municipality, Busia District, have asked police and other security agencies to stop the rampant armed robberies in the area.
During a council meeting on Tuesday, the leaders said some of the crimes were being committed with the aid of police officers and other security operatives, which the district police commander, Mr Eriya Elepot, confirmed.
“Currently, two of our own police officers, one attached to the police Flying Squad and another to crime intelligence at Busia Police Station are on the run over their involvement in a spate of cross-border crimes,” Mr Elepot said.
He said they had sent the names of the suspects to the police headquarters in Kampala, and an order to arrest them has been issued.
The officers allegedly connived with criminal gangs to steal close to KShs100,000 (about Shs3.5m) from Mr Dickson Oyonde, a Kenyan national. Mr Oyonde told Daily Monitor that on the fateful day, he was tricked by a group of people who were working closely with the police officers to rob him.
“After they robbed me, the two police officers instead of helping arrest the criminals, handcuffed and forced me into the car and I was driven to Busia Police Station on accusations of being in possession of a stolen motorcycle, which is not true,” he said.
Mr John Obuli, a workers’ councilllor, decried police laxity in fighting crime. “We have information that some unscrupulous police officers have been behind these robberies for a long time but concerned officials have been doing nothing,” Mr Obuli said.
However, Mr Elepot said they had conducted several operations on suspected hideouts for criminals and arrested more than 200 people.
“We have intensified patrols and information gathering to ensure that town is secure for everybody,” he said.
Mr Elepot blamed the crime on lack of street lighting.
“This is a border town with a lot of activity during the day and night but with no street lighting, which favours criminal elements to thrive,” Mr Elepot said.
An investigation by Daily Monitor has established that more than 15 robberies were reported in the past three months.
Mr Elisha Birikire, a clinical officer, and his wife said on August 10, armed thugs robbed them of their car at gunpoint.
“The thugs were three and they used a motorcycle to trail me and my wife,” Mr Birikire said.
“We thought one of the thugs was a boda boda rider carrying passengers until one of the robbers came to the passenger seat and ordered me to move out of the car. When I raised an alarm, another man who was brandishing a gun cocked it and told me to keep quiet,” Ms Sarah Katuutu, Mr Birikire’s wife, said.
Crime cases
On July 11, three armed thugs attacked a Somali trader along custom road in Busia town and robbed him of Shs11 million and two mobile phones.
On July 20, two armed men shot Silver Bwire, the Busia District engineer, at his home in Bugunduhera Village in Dabani Sub-county.
On July 23, an armed man attacked Mr Khatim Magambo, a businessman, at his home in Busia Town and robbed him of Shs1.2 million.
On September 3, at about midnight, two men stabbed to death Moses Sande 19, a student of Busia SS in Madibira Village on Odoki Road in Busia Town.
