EIGHT CRIMINAL GANG LEADERS IN ARUA CITY SURRENDER TO POLICE

SP Asea Collins, West Nile police spokesperson
 
By Albert Onzoma
 
Arua City
 
Eight criminal gang group leaders in Arua City and surrounding areas in West Nile Region have surrendered to the police since police initiated a dialogue with several known criminal gang groups and their leaders urging them to abandon their unlawful activities.
 
The gang leaders were identified by the police as Ali Tororo, Chicka also known as Ali Baba, Lojugo, Oscar Boniface, Angina Roy known as Rambo and others who demonstrated willingness to cooperate with police, reform and support police in fighting criminal activities in Arua City and West Nile Region.
 
Asea Collins the police public relations officer for West Nile Region attributed the success of the dialogue to community policing and partnership with the office of the Arua Resident City Commissioner and the communities aimed at embracing a path of positive change in the communities.
 
“We began engagements with the community, local council one chairpersons and the criminals in their various groups in last two months, eight of their ring leaders like Ali Tororo who has a group called Gaza near Airfield and was operating in Smash area, when we inter faced with him he gave us names of so many gang groups he had created within Arua City where they were robbing phones, bags, motorcycles and other items from people and another gang leader known as Chicka also came to us with his group who operates in the areas of Jiako and Krab,” Asea revealed.
 
Asea cautioned the gang leaders to abstain from any criminal activities as the police will continue to monitor them together with the community members and arrest them when they go back to criminality.
 
“Security authorities will continue to monitor these people and I urge the public to give them the second chance as we continue to monitor them and their activities in the communities, in case they go back to their criminal activities, they community will inform us and their coming out doesn’t mean that their past files have been closed, they can be reactivated when they return to criminal activities and we shall arrest and charge them,” he added.
 
Police are appealing to the public in West Nile to remain calm and welcome back the individuals into the community as their previous files will remain open in case of any breach of the law, their files will be reactivated and they will be arrested and charged.