IUIU student killed in Mbale police boda chase

A third- year student of Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) at Mbale campus was on Tuesday night knocked dead by a boda boda as the rider attempted to evade police arrest.

The tragedy happened near Grace Primary School on Mbale-Bufumbo road at 9pm in Mbale City during a police chase of the boda boda rider for violating curfew restrictions.

The deceased was identified as  Ibrahim  Mudoma, 27, a student of Bachelor of Education. 

He was also riding a motorcycle returning home in Nabweya Cell in the city’s Northern City Division.
Ms Rehema Katono, the IUIU spokesperson, confirmed the death.

“He was among the committed and hardworking students. It is sad that he has passed on,” Ms Katono said.
 The deceased was carrying a relative, who also was seriously injured. He was admitted to Mbale Hospital in critical condition.
Shortly after the accident, a group of boda boda riders and relatives of the deceased attacked Mbale Central Police Station threatening to set it ablaze. 

They also carried with them the deceased’s body, which they dumped at the station.

During the fracas, some irate riders  grabbed a police officer at the station and beat him up.
The police officer was  rescued after colleagues intervened by  firing  live bullets. Several residents were reportedly injured during the fracas.

Later the protestors took the body to Bumusili Village in Bufumbo Sub-county in Mbale for burial.
Attempts by police to take the body to Mbale Referral Hospital for postmortem were thwarted by the protestors.

Mr Robert Mafabi, a witness, blamed the deceased’s death on police officers enforcing curfew rules.
“They were chasing the boda boda rider as if he had committed treason. In the process, there was an accident and unfortunately, Mudoma  died on spot,” he said.

Mr Mafabi said the boda boda rider, who was being chased escaped arrest.
Some boda riders said such a chase could have been prompted after the boda boda rider failed to give police officers a bribe.
“Police officers are using this curfew to solicit money from us. If you don’t have money, you have to take off to avoid arrest and also save the motorcycle,” Mr Akim Nagwere, a boda boda rider, said.

The officer- in-charge of Mbale Central Police Station, Mr Arafat Kato, however, said the deceased was knocked while fleeing from police.
Mr Kato said police fired live bullets after a group of cyclists attacked the station, accusing them of killing their colleague.

The Elgon regional police spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika, however, said the deceased died in Mbale hospital.
“We have started investigating the circumstances under which he died,” he said. 
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