Journalist arrests thief, policeman begs him to pardon his friend

By Watchdog reporter

Stuart Yiga, a journalist with Red Pepper newspaper, has covered small and high profile thefts in his career. However, it is only recently himself got terrorized by the thieves in Mukono.

One morning, Yiga found thieves had plucked number plates from his vehicle. The man who sacrificed everything to buy himself a vehicle also found a note left behind asking for money for the people who stole the plates to return them.

The silly fellows didn’t know whom they were playing with. Like a commando in one of the American war movies, Yiga decided to act watchman at his home until he caught the thief terrorizing them.

And it wasn’t long before his effort bore fruits.

 He wrote the account on his Facebook wall, “Luckily, on Saturday at exactly 3:00am, as I was undercover, there came a muscular youth who descended towards my gate. When he reached at the entry, he removed his pair of shoes and held them in his hands. He looked side by side like any person on a deadly mission would do, and then started tiptoeing towards my house.
At this time, little did he know that I was keenly watching him!
After getting convinced that he was alone, I calmly waited for him to make some few steps inside my home before I caught him off guard.
Using my undisclosed ‘equipments’, I single-handedly managed to arrest him as he shouted, ‘bannange siri mubbi,mukamawange siri mubbi, amannya gange nze Ddiba Paul era nga mbeera wa Nakimbugwe owa Green Valley e Mbikko, sorry, ow’e Nakibizzi.’”

Surprisingly, after taking the thief to police, it turned out a police officer turned up asking the journalist to pardon the thief.

When Yiga insisted that the policeman’s friend first return his stolen number plates before he gets his freedom,  a shocked journalist a few hours later got a call from his wife that plates had been abandoned outside the gate by unknown people.

Below is Stuart Yiga’s narrative:

Stuart Yiga

Unknown group of hooligans raided my new home in Mukono Central Division and plucked off all my vehicle number plates at night.
As it is their norm, they left behind written note containing an Airtel phone contact on which they wanted me to send them shs.170.000/- if I wanted my plates back.
However, when I consulted my friends within and outside security circles, they advised not to send any coin to the goons as I would be promoting them to continue with their heartless habits on others.
As time went on, again someone came and told me that if i dont comply by sending mobile money to the goons that they would bring them back but on condition that smash the windscreen!
Basing on this fact, I instead got more courage and started laying a trap every night between 1:00am-3:00am so that I get these culprits.
Luckily, on Saturday at exactly 3:00am, as I was undercover, there came a muscular youth who descended towards my gate. When he reached at the entry, he removed his pair of shoes and held them in his hands. He looked side by side like any person on a deadly mission would do, and then started tiptoeing towards my house.
At this time, little did he know that I was keenly watching him!
After getting convinced that he was alone, I calmly waited for him to make some few steps inside my home before I caught him off guard.
Using my undisclosed ‘equipments’, I single-handedly managed to arrest him as he shouted, ‘bannange siri mubbi,mukamawange siri mubbi, amannya gange nze Ddiba Paul era nga mbeera wa Nakimbugwe owa Green Valley e Mbikko, sorry, ow’e Nakibizzi.’
As a law abiding citizen, I contacted Mukono police thereafter which also responded very fast and transfered him to the main Station using their patrol car.
Surprisingly, when he reached at police, he denied his names claiming he was called Mukuwe and also denied having any link with one Nakimbugwe!
When i checked on him yesterday morning, I warned him that unless he returns my car number plates he was going to suffer.
Surprisingly, one of his friend later visited him and even asked the investigating officer for my contacts.
Guess what, the one who called was a senior police officer on the rank of ASP and he was begging me to pardon the suspect.
Despite his pleas, I insisted not to ‘lessen the rope’ unless he brought back my car plates and explained why he chose to trespass at my home in such an awkward hours!
Shockingly, yesterday at around 1:30Pm, i received a phone call from my wife, informing me that my number plates had been brought back and abandoned near my gate by unknown people!