Police rescue boda boda hitman from angry cyclists

Police in Kakiri have in custody a man who is suspected to be a boda boda thief.

Bright Mugisha was rescued from a mob that wanted to lynch him after he was found with a knife believed to be one he uses to kill boda boda cyclists before stealing their bikes.

According to Mbazira Issah Henry, a boda boda rider, Mugisha hired him from his stage around Mabirizi Kampala alleging that he was following up his stolen vehicle.

“At around 5 pm, a customer came to my stage near Mabirizi complex asking to ride him to Nansana and I obliged,” Mbazira says, adding that they agreed on a fare of Shs10,000.

Midway the journey, Mugisha requested to be taken as far as Kiboga.

This worried Mbazira, who according to police then rode to the nearest boda stage at Kakiri. Here, other riders agreed to continue with the journey only if they first searched him.

Upon a thorough search, he was found with a sharp knife wrapped in a paper that had been kept in the trousers, prompting the boda riders to pounce on him.
He was, however, rescued by police after the area chairman called them.
“We arrested him and he is currently in the hand of police receiving medication for the injuries he sustained.
We were able to recover a knife, a polythene bag, which contained clothes, a trouser and a shirt. We suspect he wanted to use them after the theft and attempted murder,” a statement from the Uganda Police reads in part.

The police also urge the public, especially the Boda Boda cyclists to, at all times, coordinate with each other and the local authorities.

The call follows other incidents where cylclists have been lured by customers into death traps.

Last week, John Alex Sezira, a rider belonging to Safe Boda was asked by a passenger from Kajjansi to be taken to Butambala, only to be killed along the way and body dumped in a stream.

Before him, John Bosco Mugisha and his colleague Yung Mulo were arrested for the murder of Derrick Mulindwa, a resident of Nabweru, Nansana Municipality on June 30, 2019.