The Inspector General of Police, Martin Ochola, has ordered for the dismissal of four police officers cited in the robbery of $30,000 (over UGX 110M) from traders based in Kisenyi, Central Division, in Kampala.
Ochola basing on information gathered by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) has directed the police force’s Professional Standards Unit (PSU) to expedite the prosecution of detectives Phiona Among, Isaac Agula, Shafic Baluku and Bernard Garenda in the disciplinary tribunal and afterwards be officially dismissed.
It is alleged that the police officers last week connived with the manager of Royal View Hotel in Buziga to rob the money which was in possession of Kisenyi based trader Muhammad Abdullahman.
“Muhammad and his colleagues booked rooms at Royal View Hotel in Buziga. They asked the hotel manager whether he had means of changing their $30,000 into Uganda shillings since they wanted to buy a lorry for transport business. The manager informed a one Okello who disguised as a person willing to help them but he was hatching a robbery scheme,” detectives said in a report shared to police headquarters.
Okello later got in touch with Among who also alerted three of her other colleagues and they went to Royal View Hotel. The quartet put Muhammad in a vehicle and drove him around Kabalagala until they stopped at hotel behind Kabalagala police division and robbed him of the money he had.
Detectives said that Muhammad alerted one of his colleagues who also swiftly informed police headquarters of the robbery that had happened. CID said a team of investigators swung into action and apprehended the quartet.
Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, said detectives sent by CID headquarters have since recovered dollar exhibits from the arrested police officers. It is on the basis of this evidence which has also been supported by CCTV cameras that IGP Ochola has instructed the quartet be prosecuted in the disciplinary tribunal so that they can formerly be dismissed from the police and face criminal trials as civilian robbers.
“Police condemns the acts of the police officers who are supposed to protect civilians with their property but instead chose to rob them. All police officers with bad manners will be dismissed from the police institution,” Enanga said quoting the police overall superintendent.
This is not the first police officers have been arrested robbery or theft of valuable property in civilians’ hands. ASP James Kakana was arrested in November last year for conniving with UPDF soldiers to rob over UGX1B in Mpigi district.