Travelers using the Abim– Kotido road have to be extra vigilant, according to the local police. Those moving within and around the district have been advised to consider adjusting their travel time on different routes to ensure their safety.
This comes days after the suspected Jie warriors staged an ambush on Abim – Kotido road on September 18th, 2022, and shot dead a pupil and injured another. Moses Akena, the Kotido District Police Commander has appealed to travelers to avoid both early and late journeys to avert the attacks.
He says although there is heavy deployment in the hotspots along the routes, travelers should not relax because the thugs are also busy identifying the gaps in security so they can carry on their attacks.
Ambrose Onoria, the Kotido Resident District Commissioner, says that they are struggling to ensure that attacks on the roads stop because it’s disorganizing the peace that’s gradually returning to the region. Onoria says that they are working together with the local community to identify the culprits and have them arrested.
’We are not going to allow these criminals to overrule us, we are going to track them down by all means,’’ he said. Onoria also noted that the warriors have finished all the cows and have now resorted to road Ambushes attacking travelers most especially traders. He urges people traveling to Kotido to always use buses, which are safer than motorcycles that are easy to attack.
John Bosco Akore, the Secretary of the Kotido Elders council has tasked the local leaders to move around and talk to the warriors about peace the same way they were campaigning for votes. He notes that the leaders are capable of talking to the warriors about peace but unfortunately they have all shunned their responsibilities.
The Roads leading to Kotido from Moroto, Kaabong, and Abim have recently been marred by numerous ambushes staged by suspected armed rustlers. Early last week, the leaders from Teso, Lango, and Karamoja met in Abim district to discuss how to end the road ambushes.
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