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Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson confirmed the disappearance of the security guard to URN.
Police in Hoima is investigating circumstances under which a private security guard has disappeared with a gun from duty.
The suspect is Innocent Okot, attached to Saracen Security Company Limited, Hoima branch.
He disappeared with the Company gun registration number SAR 12116651/06277 with five rounds of ammunition.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson told Uganda Radio Network on Thursday that Okot disappeared with the Company guard on Tuesday this week. He had been deployed to guard Mukwano Building in Hoima City when he disappeared with the gun to a yet to be known destination.
Juventine Otim, the Regional Supervisor for Saracen Security Company in the Albertine told Uganda Radio Network that they became suspicious after Okot failed to show up at their offices on Tuesday Morning after he had been deployed for night duty.
This prompted them to rush to his duty station at Mukwano building where he had been deployed but they never found him.
He says when they broke his door, they only discovered the Company Uniform dumped in the house but the gun was missing.
He suspects that Okot could have been joined by other people to steal the gun to go out and commit illegal acts.
Sources at Mukwano building where Okot was guarding told Uganda Radio Network on condition of anonymity that Okot was last seen there on Tuesday morning while armed with his gun and he disappeared to an unknown destination later, to date.
Otim joined the Company in 2017 and he was deployed to work in many parts of the country before he was posted to Hoima in March 2020.
In January 2019, unidentified thugs attacked and robbed a private security guard of his firearm in Hoima town.
Moses Musani, a private security guard attached to Star React Security Company Limited was on duty at Sona pharmacy along Hoima-Fort portal road in the then Kahoora Division of Hoima Municipality when he was hacked by thugs. Musani sustained deep cuts on the head and the neck.
In February 2018, thugs attacked and robbed a gun from a private security guard attached to Ankar security Group Company limited. He had been deployed to guard a motorcycle selling point in Kiryatete in Hoima town.
There are over ten private security companies operating in Hoima town including Ankar security company limited, Securiko Uganda Limited, Saracen security company limited, Star React security company limited, 4GS Security company and Express Security Company limited among others.
In 2019, the Hoima District Security Committee came up with a resolution to have all the Private Security Guards operating in Hoima district undergo compulsory refresher courses conducted by the Uganda People forces – UPDF.
This was because the district security committed discovered that most of the private security guards are not physically fit to handle guns and defend themselves in case of any attacks by thugs in their places of operation.
