Africa-Press – Uganda. Armed robbers targeting mobile money agents have made a comeback nearly two years since security forces arrested majority of them.Unlike in previous incidents where criminals targeted agents with huge sums of money, the new groups attack mobile money shops that have less than Shs500,000.
The incidents have been reported in Wakiso, Luweero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola districts, and Kampala City.In a message to all police commanders last month, the director of police operations, Mr Edward Ochom, attributed the rise in violent crime to failure to enforce coronavirus curfew regulations.
The latest incident is of Rayan Kaahwa, 33, a mobile money agent in Futi Butangwa Cell, Fort Portal City.Kaahwa was attacked by unidentified men, who visited his shop claiming to be clients, and asked for Shs1.2m withdrawal at around 9:30pm on Wednesday evening. When he accepted, they then held him at gunpoint and ordered him to hand over the money.
Witnesses said as he obeyed their orders, they shot him in the shoulder before they removed the money from the drawer and walked away.Rwenzori West police spokesperson Vincent Twesige said the criminals had taken advantage of curfew time to attack traders who were operating illegally beyond 9pm.On Monday, the overall police spokesperson, Mr Fred Enanga, said the criminals were targeting unsuspected victims, especially very early in the morning and the evening in urban areas.
“We are going to intensify operations as the director of operations said to ensure that the criminals are arrested. We want members of the public to ensure that they abide by the curfew regulations because many of the cases happen during that time,” Mr Enanga said.
On Saturday, yet-to-be identified armed persons shot Mr Robert Nyakaana, a mobile money agent, in the leg and injured two others before robbing Shs300,000 and mobile phones worth Shs3.5m in Kibiito Sub-county, Bunyangabu District. Wilson Karatunga, a boda boda rider, who was shot as the criminals fled the scene, died before he could reach the hospital.
Wakiso District, which has relatively been free of mobile money agent attackers after 2019 operations that led to the arrest of all suspects behind the incident and recovery of the firearm, got the first incident a fortnight ago when they shot dead Nambi Bogiya, 30, a mobile money operator at Nalugala.
Since the beginning of the year, business communities in Greater Luweero region, which covers Nakaseke, Nakasongola and Luweero, have also been under attack by armed people that have been robbing money from them.At least 10 people have been killed in the area by a suspected criminal gang, which has since been arrested and guns recovered.
