Unidentified thugs on Wednesday morning blocked and commandeered a Kampala-bound Gaagaa bus and robbed its passengers of millions of shillings and other valuables.
The Gaagaa bus was travelling from Paidha, a border town in Zombo District in West Nile. It had passengers, mainly business people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and towns like Nebbi and Pakwach.
Police spokesman for Kampala Metropolitan Ibn Ssenkumbi says the incident took place at around 2:40am at a roadside market after Bombo Township.
According to Ssenkumbi, the thugs placed a roadblock with a danger reflector in the middle of the road pretending to be traffic police officers.
Ssenkumbi says as the bus driver slowed down to find out what was happening, the thugs numbering about 10 stormed the bus, smashed the windshields and entered the bus.
Dressed in military fatigues and wielding guns, machetes and clubs, the ill-tempered thugs removed the driver from his seat and dumped him among the passengers.
In the scuffle, the bus driver and three other passengers managed to jump off the bus and ran into the bush.
Meanwhile one of the thugs sat in the driver’s seat and commandeered the bus for about 300 meters and branched off into a feeder road.
Once deep inside the bush, the thugs robbed the passengers of their monies, mobile phones and other valuables.
Ssenkumbi says the thugs took 43.7 million shillings and 13,700 dollars, as well as other valuables.
He says by the time the police arrived at the scene the thugs had fled, leaving the confused passengers. Luckily, says Ssenkumbi, no one was hurt in the incident, adding that even the bus had minor damages.
The police publicist says they have launched the hunt for the thugs and asks anyone with information about their whereabouts to cooperate with the police.
James Nyakuni, the owner of Gaagaa Bus Service, confirmed the incident saying it was a very unfortunate occurrence.
Nyakuni, who rushed to the scene of the crime, said apart from the shattered driver’s window, the bus was not vandalized. He said there were, however, signs that the thug who commandeered the bus, struggled to drive it.
He said the driver slowed down because he thought the roadblock was lawful. He noted that drivers along that route have developed fear after a bus driver was jailed recently for failing to slow down and knocking a boda-boda cyclist who was crisscrossing the road.
Nyakuni, who is a member of the bus owners’ association, said this is the second time in a week that bus passengers are being robbed in a similar fashion. In the first incident, a Perfect Coach bus travelling to Kanungu in Western Uganda was blocked and its passengers all robbed.
