Butaleja police is holding five suspects in connection to the murder of 60-year-old Tolofaina Hasaba, a resident of Bugangu village in Busabi Sub County. Vincent Otyeng, the officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department at Butaleja Central Police station identifies some of the suspects as Michael Wanjala, the LC I chairman of Bugangu village, Wilber Kanyonyi and Micheal Kajawa.
Otyeng says preliminary investigation indicates that the Chairman L.C1 led the group to that attacked and killed the elderly woman and caused injuries to her husband. Hasaba was beaten to death and her husband Lawrence Hasaba injured on Wednesday afternoon. He told Uganda Radio Network that police have received intelligence reports indicating that the relatives of the deceased and that of her husband are planning a revenge attack against the suspects.
He says that they have deployed heavily in the village and at the Central Police station where the suspects are being held to avoid any invasion by the aggrieved members. When URN visited the police station at around 10:00am on Friday, several police personnel could be seen patrolling the police headquarters. He warned the aggrieved against taking law into their hands adding that the police is conducting investigation and will have the suspects in court as soon as investigations are complete.
He says the suspect may be charged with murder and attempted murder accordingly. The victims and their attackers have had a long standing wrangle over an 86 acre piece of land with both each party claiming ownership of the land. A letter dated 2nd March 1970 from the village chairperson indicates that the land in question belongs to Lawrence Hasaba, the deceased’s husband. According to the letter, Hasaba acquired the land in question and he has since been hiring out the land to locals to cultivate their crops.
