A group of armed assailants on Thursday night shot and killed an officer attached to Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) in Jinja district.
SCP Fred Enanga, police spokesperson, identified the officer as Sgt. Eyamu Simon Peter, aged 45, who was manning the entry checkpoint at Gaddafi Barracks.
They robbed two guns including that of his colleague, who had gone to the nearby shops.
“The facts gathered indicate that the assailants took advantage of the location of the mini-checkpoint, distanced about 1km away from the main checkpoint to Gaddafi main barracks, the green cover and the Ambercoat market access, which made the mini-checkpoint a soft target,” Enanga explained.
“They attacked the guard, stabbed him in the right chest and also shot him thrice, killing him instantly. The assailants robbed two guns and fled from the scene. The security barricade at the main Gaddafi barracks checkpoint was not breached.”
He said Joint Regional security task teams responded immediately upon learning about the incident and cordoned off the area. An immediate search, with the use of K9, led to the arrest of one suspect who was found hiding in a trench.
The second UPDF guard who left his beat at the mini-checkpoint is also arrested for further interrogation.
The body of the deceased has been transferred to Jinja Regional Referral hospital for further post-mortem analysis.
This is the third attack on security organs in a span of two and a half weeks.
On the 31st of October, two officers were killed, two others injured and two guns were robbed from Busiika Police Station in Luweero district.
On the 14th of November, armed men opened fire at the Kyanja police post. No one was killed or injured.
Meanwhile, a gun was stolen from a police officer’s house at Kireka Police Barracks on November 14, 2022.
It has since been recovered from a pit latrine in Kireka, Kampala district.