Mob Violence Erupts as Suspected UPDF Soldiers Rob Bank Agents of UGX 80 Million
In a recent incident that unfolded in Nabweru Division, Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District, two men suspected of being Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers found themselves admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital under police supervision. They were rescued from a mob attack following allegations of robbing UGX 80 million from two bank agents. The robbery occurred when a Centenary Bank agent, Mr. Ronald Sserugga, and his colleague, Elly Nahurira, were ambushed by four gunmen dressed in UPDF uniforms.
The victims, Mr. Sserugga and Mr. Nahurira, were traveling to deposit the money at Equity Bank’s main branch at Church House in Kampala District. They had taken an alternative route due to heavy traffic when their vehicle was intercepted by the armed men, who were traveling in a Toyota Harrier with registration number UBN 824.
The perpetrators forcefully demanded access to the vehicle and, when met with resistance, resorted to opening the rear door and seizing the bag containing the money. Subsequently, they ordered Nahurira into the vehicle’s trunk. The assailants instructed the complainant, Sserugga, to follow them to the police station. However, the victims became suspicious when the assailants deviated from the supposed police station route, resulting in a collision between their vehicles.
Two of the gunmen fled the scene, taking a laptop and the bag of money with them. Meanwhile, the other two were confronted by onlookers and members of the local community. The suspects were brutally beaten by the mob until the intervention of the Nansana Police Station, which rescued them from further harm.
The two injured suspects were promptly transported to Mulago National Referral Hospital for medical treatment. Concurrently, the police initiated an investigation to locate and apprehend any potential accomplices involved in the robbery. One of the suspects, identified as Ronald Kaweesi, a 25-year-old resident of Nansana East I A, was the driver of the vehicle used in the crime. The other, RO 186816 Erick Tumuwine, aged 42, was an active UPDF soldier attached to the Magamaga engineering brigade in Iganga District, located in eastern Uganda.
In response to the incident, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire revealed that the police had initiated contact with the UPDF leadership to verify the status of the suspects as members of their organization.