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How police tracked man with a hammer
Kampala Metropolitan Police commander Moses Kafeero with ASP Consilata Kasule at her home yesterday. The police boss had paid the victim a courtesy visit. PHOTO/COURTESY
KAMPALA- After the Wednesday violent protests, Emmanuel Ssebuliba Simbwa, a city boda boda cyclist, went home thinking the authorities wouldn’t trace him after hitting a senior female police officer with a hammer.
Simbwa and his reported accomplice Benson Kasozi, had allegedly hit Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Consilata Kasule, who was removing cardboards that protesters had piled in the middle of the road during the protests.
Kasule’s colleagues fired one warning shot before the suspects vanished in the nearby arcades.
The suspects were among thousands protesting the arrest of National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, in Luuka District. The protesters blocked roads and pelted security personnel with stones as the latter responded with teargas and live bullets.
What both suspects didn’t know was that they had been captured by police CCTV cameras and on mobile phones.
Unaware that their actions were viral on social media, Kasozi went back to his workplace the following day (Thursday).
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Patrick Onyango said the police had already analysed the CCTV footage and a team was on standby to arrest him as soon as he was detected in the system.
“Kasozi came to work [on Thursday] and the system detected him. He was arrested and interrogated,” Mr Onyango said yesterday.
Police say Kasozi admitted to have taken part in the attack, but denied having assaulted the police officer. He allegedly said it was his colleague, Simbwa, who attacked the officer.
Simbwa got wind of the information through mass media that he had been identified and that the police were hunting for him.
He decided not to return to the boda boda stage where he had been operating from.
After one day in custody, Kasozi accepted to take the officers where Simbwa stays.
“On Sunday, the officers waited until it was dark and told Kasozi to guide them to where his accomplice stays,” Onyango explained.
The officers drove with Kasozi to a residence behind the Industrial Park at Kirinya, Bweyogerere in Kira Municipality, where Simbwa rented a single room.
“The officers knocked at his door and when he opened to see who was outside, the officers arrested him. He didn’t resist arrest. They then brought him to Central Police Station (CPS) for interrogation,” Mr Onyango said.
At CPS, Simbwa reportedly admitted to have attacked the officer, but regretted his actions and begged for mercy.
Simbwa said it was his first incident to attack a law enforcement officer but he didn’t explain what exactly prompted him to do so. He neither explained how he got the hammer he used to attack the officer.
ASP Kasule said yesterday she was still on medication but that she will be fine.
The police are to rely on her medical form and CCTV camera footage to use as evidence against Simbwa in court. The authorities are still hunting for more suspected criminals.
