The Police in Masaka City are investigating another break-in in the offices of Community Transformation Network Foundation-COTFONE; a human rights defenders’ nongovernment organization.
Florence Nakandi, the COTFONE Programs Coordinator says that on Tuesday night, unknown thugs broke into their offices located in Kyabakuza ward in Masaka city and took away vital documents and two laptop computers.
According to Nakandi, the thugs took away a box file that contains important details about the affected persons of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline-EACOP project in the areas of Lwengo, Kyotera, Rakai, Sembabule, and Gomba districts.
The NGO is renowned for advancing demands for fair compensation of the project-affected persons in the area where the pipeline will pass within the greater Masaka sub-region.
Nakandi She says the thugs also raided a home that is located in the neighborhood of the affected offices, where they were however repulsed after the occupants raised alarms.
“We are made to believe that one of the thugs sustained injuries while they were breaking in because we have found blood stains at the scene of the crime. We hurriedly called in the police but they have not made any arrests yet,” she says.
Didas Kutotsi, the Kimanya-Kabonera Division Police Commander, says their detectives have visited the scene of crime and have commenced investigations into the incident. He reveals that they have obtained clear clues which they are going to corroborate in their pursuit of the perpetrators.
Kutotsi indicates that they are going to widen their scope of the investigation to include among people staff of the affected NGO to establish if this was not an inside game.
In February, the same NGO suffered a similar break-in by yet unknown armed thugs who allegedly also took away four laptop computers, two tablets, a cellphone handset, and key organization files.
The case of burglary and theft was recorded by police but the investigations are yet to yield results and no person has ever been charged.
