Jinja, Uganda | URN | The Police in Jinja District in eastern Uganda has arrested four of their own over Thursday’s 18th, February 2021 shooting. Farouk Samanya, a Boda Boda rider was allegedly shot dead by police officers attached to the Filed Force Unit- FFU.
It is alleged that at around 7:00 pm, a police patrol vehicle knocked a motorcycle rider at Mailo Mbili round about the along Jinja-Iganga road.
Boda Boda cyclists confronted the police officers and demanded that they take their colleague to hospital for treatment.
However, when the police officers refused, the cyclists pelted the police personnel with stones. The police retaliated by firing live bullets directly at the crowd, killing Samanya instantly and injuring another person 21-year-old Shaluwa Namukose who is nursing bullet wounds at Alshafa hospital in Mpumude, Jinja City.
“We were here seated minding our business when a police officer approached one of our colleagues and grabbed him by his neck. When we tried to intervene, he opened fire and started shooting indiscriminately,” an eyewitness said.
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The Kiira region police spokesperson, Abbey Ngako says that the police officers whose identities he refused to reveal were arrested on Friday 19th morning and are currently being detained at Nalufenya Police Station.
He adds that their guns have been taken to the government analytical laboratory for a forensic audit.
Samanya’s shooting sparked off protests paralyzing traffic along the Jinja-Iganga road as police fired teargas to disperse the angry riders.
