By Ronald Odongo
Lira
August 18, 2008: It was on Sunday afternoon when the Erute North Member of Parliament Charles Angiro Gutumoi Abac-Acon stormed Lira central police station to accuse the rapid response unit (RRU) police personnel of unlawful arrest and detention of about 6 people suspected of sexually abusing a 10 year old girl.
Hon Angiro who accused the personnel of conducting what he termed as illegal arrest and detention of the suspects for more than 48 hours as required by the law says some police divided nearly a million shillings recovered from suspects among themselves, allegations which the police rubbished.
The RRU personnel at Lira central police station late last week carried emergency operations in Kirombe North and Akite-Nino village – both dangerous suburbs in Lira town following a tip-off by the local council that a group of people were mass defiling and raping a minor in the area.
Sources within the area indicated that some of the arrested suspects are related to the Hon Angiro.
During the clashes, police also hit back at the Hon MP warning him against interfering with police work and accused him of wanting to gainin cheap and hopeless popularity.
Police say the suspects would be charged with aggravated defilement and robberies.
Hon Angiro, after clashing with the police went berserk on every local FM radio station in the town accusing police of acting unprofessionally and stealing of the suspects’ cash that were recovered.
According to the commander of the RRU at Lira central police station, Alex Omwa, the group is suspected to be behind all the robberies and other crimes in the area.
However, some suspects alleged that they were rough-handled by the police who carried a nasty search in their houses during the arrest.
Omwa added that the suspects were got with over four hundred thousand shillings, 5 expensive mobile cell phones, 6 pairs of shoes and photo albums with nude snaps.
He says the properties got with suspects were beyond their income capacity. RRU chief said the search was carried in the presence of the local leaders of the area.
Police says as a legislator Hon Angiro should have been mobilizing the local community to fight and reduce high crime rates in the area instead of fighting and interfering with police work.
Local leaders of the area revealed that all the 6 arrested suspects are not registered and known members of the community.
A section of business people in that area last week threatened to stage a demonstration protesting rampant robberies in the area.
Police vowed to continue conducting operations aimed at cracking down on the rampant crime in the area.
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