BY BOY FIDEL LEON
The recent theft of a police officer’s AK 47 rifle which was used by a notorious mobile money gang to carry out a series of gruesome robberies in Mubende District has highlighted the urgent need for better protection, regulation and control of firearms in the country.
According to Polly Namaye the Police spokesperson, the “mobile money gang” ridding on motorcycles grabbed the rifle from a police officer in Nsangi Division as he disembarked from a boda boda near the Division HQ checkpoint at Nsangi and sped off.
Since that occurrence, the police have registered four mobile money robberies, including an attempted murder of a victim who tried to raise an alarm, which was captured on a CCTV footage that went viral on social media.
This robbery also resulted into the murder of a police officer, Mr Joseph Olaya , who was part of the team that attempted to intercept the gang as they fled the scene on motorcycles. The suspects not only took the officer’s life but also grabbed a gun magazine belonging to him.
The recovery of the stolen rifle during an intensive operation by the Directorate of Crime Intelligence in partnership with Nsangi Police and the Flying Squad Unit led to the arrest of six suspects and the recovery of the motor vehicle they had been using in the robberies. Investigations have revealed that the recovered gun was the same one used in the recent robberies by the gang.
“We have since established from our analysis interrogations and critical examination of the different scenes that the recovered gun was the same one used in different robberies recently by this racket.” Says the Uganda Police on Twitter.
This incident highlights the need for better regulation and control of firearms in Uganda. The ease with which the stolen gun was used by the “mobile money gang” to carry out multiple robberies underscores the need for better protection of weapons and stronger regulations to ensure that firearms are only used by authorized personnel for legitimate purposes.
In recent years, Uganda has seen a surge in violent crime, with reports of armed robberies, kidnappings, and other forms of violence becoming increasingly common. Much of this violence has been linked to the proliferation of illegal firearms in the country.
During one of the security meetings at the height of gun violence, former Inspector General of Police of Uganda, Kale Kayihura, in August 2016, indicated that, “Easy access to arms remains one of the biggest threats to security” and that “stringent measures will be taken to curb illegal possession of firearms and ensure only authorized persons access guns.”
For instance in 2021, a group of armed men that had been reported to have been involved in a series of robberies and other criminal activities in the area attacked a police post in Kween District and made off with several guns and ammunition.
In 2019, a police officer in Nansana was arrested for selling a gun to a criminal gang which was reportedly used in a robbery in which a person was killed. In 2015, a police officer in Entebbe was arrested for selling guns and ammunition to a criminal gang. The gang was reportedly involved in a series of robberies and other criminal activities in the area.
In 2020, a police officer who had been off duty at the time in Mityana District was arrested for shooting and killing a civilian during a dispute.
Many experts have since said that to address this problem, the government must take swift action to improve the storage and security of firearms, including investing in better facilities and surveillance measures to deter theft and misuse.
They also say that, the government must also work to strengthen regulations around firearms, including better background checks and vetting procedures for new recruits and increased penalties for those who engage in illegal firearms trafficking.
