Africa-Press – Uganda. Local Council leaders in Gulu City have asked security authorities to provide them with guns to weed the city of rampant armed robberies.
While meeting the Gulu City security committee at the weekend, the local leaders also want to be provided with basic military training in order to operate weapons.
Mr Richard Ojok, the chairperson of For God Village in Gulu West Division, Gulu City, said they fear to report crimes out of fear.
“As an unarmed village chairperson, I can’t go to arrest a person who is armed because I fear for my life since they always revenge. We should be given guns to face them head-on,” Mr Ojok said.
He added that the robbers at times use security items such as army uniforms.
“The rate of armed robberies is very high in Gulu City and the security like UPDF and the police are very silent about it. We don’t know if the security has tried to investigate where the guns come from,” he said.
Attacks
Recently, street gangs raided the home of the village chairperson for Industrial Area to revenge the arrest of their colleagues.
In Bwobo Village, Mr Walter Nyero, the chairperson, said his defence secretary was attacked twice at night during the night patrols and he has since abandoned the operations.
Ms Grace Akello, the chairperson of Pece Prison Ward, said leaders should be equipped with military skills.
“I usually move at night doing patrolling and it is risky since my area is surrounded by a forest and its where all these criminals hide, hatch and execute their terror activities,” Ms Akello said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ronald Okot, the Kasubi Village defence secretary, said there are more than five guns in the area, adding that security is reluctant to apprehend the suspects even though sufficient evidence has been provided.
However, Captain Ahmed Hassan Kato, the Gulu 4th Division barracks spokesperson, when contacted said the local council leaders’ demands cannot be granted.
“Local council leaders must trust in the police to handle these crimes because giving them guns is impossible since guns are a monopoly of the UPDF and police and cannot be trusted with anybody else,” Capt Kato said.
Ms Damalie Nachuha, the Aswa Regional Police Commander, said security is working to arrest the suspects.
“For the past few days, we have received reports about armed robberies and on Wednesday, we arrested one person and our intelligence is on ground to net others who are still at large,” Mr Nachuha said.
But Col Jimmy Musoke, the UPDF 4th Division administrator, at the meeting said the army is already engaging the leaders in a military training.
Col Musoke tasked people not to run away from Gulu City. “If all local leaders want military training, we shall do it. We have the bullets, guns and instructors are there,” he said.
Cases
The chairperson of Gulu West boda boda association, Mr Emmy Ocen, told Daily Monitor that they have registered theft of more than 50 motorcycles from October 2021 to January 23 and that none of the stolen motorcycles have been recovered.
Mr Ocen said more than 170 motorcycles have been stolen from Gulu City in the last 12 months while many cases have gone unreported.
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