Jinja: Tension is high in Kamuli district because of anonymous letters dropped by thugs threatening to attack residents any time this week.
The letters have been recovered by Busoga north regional police operatives on a tip off from the residents of Naibowa village in Butansi sub county.
In the anonymous letters, the thugs have threatened to raid this village and chop women’s breats, hair and private parts of men.
The thugs have warned the residents not to take their letters for a joke but to actually get ready for the attack.
The regional police spokesman, Michael Kasadha has confirmed this report. He said it is true the police have recovered the letter.
“But if everyone is vigilant, we shall arrest this thugs. They are amateurs according to this letter and I believe they are from within,” he said.
The anonymous letters have triggered panic among residents. A 60-year-old Jane Nabirye, says they are spending sleepless nights for fear of fresh attacks.
Nabirye wants police to deploy to hunt down the thugs.
“As civilians we shall not manage. We do not know the weapons they (attacker)will come with yet we cannot know when exactly they will raid us,”
Last weekend similar leaflets were dropped in Mafubira sub county in the neighbouring district of Jinja.
The leaflets were reportedly dropped in five villages; Wakitaka, Kaitabawala, Namulesa, Lwanda and Sakabusolo demanding for two things – money and women.
In some of the anonymous letters the demand was money and in other letters they demanded for a total of 540 women.
“We shall come for 120 young women from both Namulesa and Wakitaka Villages,” read one leaflet recovered by police from Namalesa trading centre while another similar letter found in Lwanda village was demanding for 20 breasts of elderly women.
In Kaitabawala village, two letters recovered from there said the thugs were soon coming for 400 wives from that village.
Amisi Kiganyira the LCIII chairman said on Tuesday that the leaflets, which have been circulating in the area since Sunday, are targeting him as well and have triggered fear among residents despite police intervention.
According to Kiganyira, attacks on the residents started prior to the dropping of these leaflets.
“We have so far arrested two suspects for their alleged attack on a resident of Wakitaka Village only identified as Majid who was found in a shop and cut with machetes. The suspects are currently being detained at Jinja Central Police Station,” he said.
Other anonymous letters were last Friday reportedly dropped in Kifirira and Wantunda Villages located in Busedde Sub-County, Jinja District, specifically ‘wanting’ the Sub-County Security Officer (GISO), Rahman Badaga and his wife, Abul Noor Buwabe and his wife and the LCIII Chairperson, Abu Kibita.
While Buwabe is an influential businessman owning over 250 acres of sugarcane and was solely responsible for the construction of the area Mosque, residents suspect Kibita is being targeted because his son allegedly deserted from the UPDF. This reporter could not verify these reports by press time.
Suleiman Musoga, a resident of Mafubira, is worried for the safety of his family, calling upon the government to put a curfew in place.
“They should pass a resolution that nobody should loiter around the Villages at a specific hour of the night or else that person will be arrested. Hopefully, we shall be safe,” he said.
Another resident who declined to be named asked for reinstating of ‘Operation Wembley’, a security outfit that fought urban crime countrywide in the 90’s.
“Also, I have noticed an influx of vehicles with tinted windows. I don’t think we are safe with these vehicles in our area especially during the rampant kidnappings,” he said.
The Kiira Region Police Commander (RPC), Onesmus Mwesigwa, on Wednesday told this writer that police are in control and have beefed up security in the areas to prevent any danger to residents by the purported thugs.
