Kampala: The inspector general of police (IGP) Martin Okoth Ochola has recalled all fire arms for documentation saying due shooting cases of assassination of people. He said there is no more acquisition of guns till police releases a report on how many guns are in private hands.
His remarks follow series of gruesome gun down of people with the recent killing of Arua municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga by boda-boda assailants. However In the recent cases police has not revealed weather the illicit activities have been executed with legalized or illegal fire arms.
Speaking in a media dialogue of all heads of security persons in Uganda Ochola said, there are a number of guns in wrong hands, we had allied democratic forces (ADF) and other groups, “in a period of two month, We have embarked on exercise to document all the guns in the hands of the civilian and after that those with illegal guns will be dealt with firmly,” he added.
“We can’t fight crime without documents showing legalized fire arms, in documentation we shall write a gun and all its symbols, so one to reclaim a fire arm, we shall access his eligibility to own a gun, if is not eligible, we shall suspend him and we reposes the gun,” he said at Serena hotel.
He said it will be easy to trace who signed for a particular gun that was used in assassination.
Reinstating hope among Ugandans, Ochola said general security in the country is calm, “security has not gone out of hand.
“We need a system to recapture those repeat offenders and criminals. Customer care has to be restored for the public to come back to police, I recently asked for a general inquiry file to be opened so that all those persons who feel they have ever been tortured go and report these crimes,”
Gunned down officials include: Ibrahim Abiriga, state prosecutor Joan Kagezi, AIGP Felix Kaweesi, Sheikh Abdul Karim Sentamu, Abubaker Kiweewa, Abdul Kadir Muwaya, Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga, Sheikh Abdul Rashid Wafula, and Sheikh Ibrahim Hassan Kirya.
