Police have fired live bullets in air to disperse angry residents of Kyeyindula parish in Kakooge sub-county in Nakasongola who wanted to lynch a double murder suspect this Friday.
Violence broke out after a Police sniffer dog brought to trace the killers of Yudaya Nakafeero and her six months baby identified as Shakul led to the home of Godfrey Mutebi, a resident of Kyeleeta village in Kakooge sub-county.
Nakafeero and her baby, all residents of Ntuti in Kakooge sub-county, were hacked to death on Thursday night after thugs attacked and raped her.
The angry residents pounced, stoned and kicked Mutebi before Police took him into their custody. Enraged residents accused Mutebi of masterminding the murders and demanded that police hand him over to them.
Police was forced to fire live bullets to deter the mob from trying to snatch him from them.
The councilor for Kakooge sub-county Geoffrey Ssemanda claimed that at least eight people have been killed in a period of last six months in Kyeyindula parish but all the suspected murderers have been set free after bribing police officers at Nakasongola police station.
Ssemanda identified some of those murdered as Steven Kato, a student of Kitangaala Secondary School, Fred Kyeyune, William Kanankole, Faith Mbabazi, and Muzafaru among others.
Ssemanda went on to say that residents have resolved to kill anybody arrested in connection with any murder and that is what they attempted to do before police intervened by use of force.
A resident, James Mujoobe, says that the residents asked police to set up police post in the parish as well as intensify police patrols in response to the increasing numbers of murders but they failed and they are living under fear.
Mujoobe explains that in the parish, people lock themselves in homes at 7pm. This though does not ensure their safety as assailants have started to break into their homes.
The acting Nakasongola district Police Commander Jimmy Lwanga confirmed the murders and says that police have arrested Geoffrey Mutebi and his wife Sylivia Nakuya over murder.
Lwanga says that the bodies of Nakafeero and his baby have been transferred to Nakasongola Health Center IV for postmortem.
Lwanga says Police is not ignorant of the residents’ pleas but are constrained by lack of enough manpower and logistics.
In June, 2012, the Police Director for Special Duties Andrew Sorowen rushed to the area and convened an emergency meeting at Kyeyindula village to placate angry residents complaining of insecurity in their area.
