The Monitor (Kampala)
Andrew Bagala
8 July 2009
Nakasongola — Cattle theft is on the increase in Nakasongola District with the latest incident registered last week after Police impounded a Fuso truck and arrested eight men suspected of stealing cattle, Daily Monitor can reveal.
The suspects were intercepted at Wabigalo village on the Gulu highway as they allegedly transported the stolen cows to the city centre on Thursday morning, Police said. However, Police declined to name the arrested suspects because it would jeopardise their operations to arrest others involved in the racket.
The cattle were stolen from Mr David Kalanga's farm in Nakasongola District.
According to the District Police Commander, Mr Felix Ebong, they have on three occasions received reports about the same lorry that is used in cattle theft in the district. "We have been searching for this lorry. Some months back it loaded stolen cattle and sped away but we couldn't impound it or arrest the occupants," Mr Ebong said yesterday.
In just three weeks, 54 head of cattle have been stolen in the district, he said. Cattle farmers including the owner of the stolen cattle spent the whole day at Nakasongola Police Station threatening to lynch the suspects if they were released. Mr Kalanga told Daily Monitor that the suspects gained entry into his farm on Thursday night and loaded the cattle.
Mr Ebong said Mr Kalanga communicated to them that his cattle had been stolen, which prompted them to amount check points on different roads. "The suspects are residents of Kampala, Luweero and Nakaseke districts," he said. Cattle theft is on the increase in the districts of Isingiro, Nakaseke, Mbarara, Rakai and Sembabule and this has prompted Police to train 200 Special Police Constables to patrol these areas.
Most of these cattle end up in Kampala abattoirs and South Sudan, Police said.
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