Representative photo
Police boss, Martins Okoth Ochola, has lauded corporal Obbo, the officer in charge of Kiyunga police post in Kamuli district, eastern Uganda for arresting two of his seniors on allegations of robbing Shs 75 million belonging to Victoria Sugar Company.
Obbo arrested the assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Micheal Bulenzibuto and sergeant Charles Ojanga four after an eyewitness pinned them on staging a roadblock and fake robbery of a vehicle in which the money was being carried. Bulenzibuto and Ojanga are respectively five and one ranks above Obbo.
At around 9 pm on Wednesday last week, Obbo received information that a Victoria Sugar Company driver, Musa Mukaabya, had been intercepted, robbed, and handcuffed by unknown thugs. The brave Obbo rushed to the scene and found a handcuffed Mukaabya lying in a trench. Mukaabya narrated that he had been robbed of the company’s money by unknown thugs. Obbo decided to interact with the locals on whether they had seen the robbers in the area.
One person whispered to Obbo that the purported robbers had entered a bar which was about a quarter a kilometre from the alleged robbery scene. The witness also intimated to Obbo that the driver appeared cooperative and was even seen laughing as he was being handcuffed by the so-called robbers.
Busoga North regional police spokesperson, ASP Micheal Kasadha, said Obbo walked into the bar accompanied by the area LC III chairman David Magala. He found his bosses; Bulenzibuto, Sgt Ojanga and five others red-handed with the bag containing the money.
Obbo immediately handcuffed Bulenzibuto, Ojanga and their accomplices. He put them in jail and then informed territorial police commanders that he had arrested two of his seniors in a robbery. Ochola, in a statement read by police spokesperson, SCP Fred Enanga described Obbo as a unique and brave officer who withstood threats of seniority, arrested and detained the officers who are supposed to be the custodians of the law.
“The IGP has come out to thank corporal Obbo for the bravery which he mustered and arrested ASP Bulenzibuto, recovered the Shs 75 million and detaining him at Kiyunga police post and then alerted territorial commanders in Kamuli,” Enanga said.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, after Obbo had arrested the seven suspects including the police officers, the LC III chairman David Magala stole more than half of the recovered money. Magala took the Shs 75 million to his area of abode and returned with only Shs 32 million. The nonsense Obbo arrested Magala too and added him to the seven suspects thus bringing the number to eight.
Details show ASP Bulenzibuto and Sgt Ojanga are attached to the anti-stock theft unit (ASTU). The IGP at the weekend swiftly ordered for the force disciplinary trial of the two accused officers. The police court sat at the Busoga North regional police headquarters and convicted ASP Bulenzibuto and Cpl Ojanga. The two were dismissed with disgrace from the Uganda Police Force.
Now civilians Micheal Bulenzibuto and Charles Ojanga will face full criminal trials n the regular courts of law.
“The two were dismissed because they indulged in gross misconduct. Bulenzibuto and Ojanga were dismissed due to discreditable misconduct. They were returned to cells as civilians and will face charges of aggravated robbery of Shs 75 million in conspiracy with the Musa Mukaabya, the driver of Victoria Sugar Company,” Enanga said.
Source: The Observer