Man caught stealing attacks police with knives, is shot and arrested

West Nile Regional Police spokesperson, Josephine Angucia, confirmed the incident saying that the suspect, identified as Navia Oyirwoth, is part of the highway robbers who target moving trucks along the Pakwach-Nebbi highway.

On Monday night, a local leader alerted police at Nyaravur police station that a group of youths had resumed criminal activity of stealing from heavy goods vehicle in the area.

The station dispatched a team to scout the area, and in a few hours they spotted a group of three atop a moving fuel tank.

“In response the OC and his team decided to go out on patrol to secure the highway. While on duty at around 4:00am, the officers saw three men on top of a moving fuel tanker dropping down items,” Angucia said.

The officers pursued the suspects on the moving truck and ordered them to get down. Two of the suspects escaped, Oyirwoth, however, came down and started a confrontation with the officers.

The officers fired a bullet in warning, but Oyirwoth was persistent in attacking them with the knives he had at hand. He was shot in the leg and taken to Nebbi General hospital before he was detained.

“The officers shot a bullet in the air to warn the suspect but he was relentless in his attack on them. He was then shot on the leg to disable him and he was arrested and taken to Nebbi general hospital for treatment,” Angucia added.

Police recoverd a sack of chicken feeds, five empty jerricans and five cartons of mineral water from the scene.

The fuel tank truck driver, who was believed to be headed to Democratic Republic of Congo, did not realise what was happening and continued on his way.

According to West Nile Regional police, the incident is part of the wider operation that was launched to wipe out highway robbers who target heavy trucks in the secluded hilly parts of the region.