Police Arrest 35 Suspected Gangsters in Kapchorwa Crackdown
Musa Ggaliwango, the key suspect in a spate of murders and robberies that occurred in the districts of greater Masaka sub region has been sentenced for 35 years in jail term.
He was convicted alongside his three accomplices, Innocent Nakabaale, Joseph Teruteesa alias Lafair and Geoffrey Lubega, with whom he was convicted for murder and aggravated robbery charges.
They were convicted by Justice Charles Kasibayo, who presided over a special criminal session at Masaka High Court.
Galiwango became was arrested in 2018, as part of a group of criminals that terrorized villages in Bukomansimbi, Kalungu and Lwengo districts, where they would break into people’s homes, rob them of their valuables and sometimes murder their victims in cold blood.
He was arrested alongside his other accomplice, Muhammad Kiddawalime, following an attack on four villages in Bukomansimbi district where they are believed to have murdered five people of the same family, who included a retired Senior Police Officer Denis Ssebugwawo, on new year’s eve of 2017.
But the four were first tried for two counts of murder and aggravated robbery, offenses they committed earlier in September 2017, at Kabonera trading center, Kimanya-Kabonera division in Masaka City.
Prosecution led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Brian Kalinaki, told the court that while armed with pangas and other machetes, the four attacked the home of Geoffrey Kulabako and murdered two people after the robbery.
According to the evidence before court, during the incident, Kulabako escaped and raised an alarm, prompting the response of Godfrey Mujumba who was instantly murdered by the assailants.
They also badly assaulted a second responder Ibrahim Kulabako, who succumbed to injuries hours after he was admitted to hospital.
Prosecution also told the court that the convicts targeted Kulabako at his music and video library library where he also operated a gaming slot machine; from which they also stole 700,000 shillings.
Kalinaki told the trial judge that the investigations collaborated all the gathered evidence, and pinned the accused persons to the offenses, because some of the surviving victims could identify them after their arrest.
”It is the reason they were arrested and charged in court,” he observed, praying the court convicts them of the offenses.
Throughout the prosecution, the accused persons denied committing the offenses, but declined to present any evidence that would lead to their acquittal.
Ggaliwango demanded that the court first grant him permission for specialized medical care, arguing that he was tortured during his arrest.
He protested that he could not effectively argue the matter before court until he fully recovers from the physical and physiological pain inflicted on him by the security personnel that arrested them.
But in his Judgement, Justice Kasibayo held that the accused persons didn’t convince court on the allegations of torture, thereby proceeding to convict them.
Court ruled that prosecution had adduced evidence that the accused persons were in good health conditions to stand trial.
Accordingly, court convicted them on two murder counts and one of aggravated robbery count before sentencing them to 35 years’ imprisonment on each account to run concurrently.
Despite the first sentence, Ggaliwango and other suspects still await prosecution for other offenses of murder and robberies they are still accused of committing.
He was convicted alongside his three accomplices, Innocent Nakabaale, Joseph Teruteesa alias Lafair and Geoffrey Lubega, with whom he was convicted for murder and aggravated robbery charges.
They were convicted by Justice Charles Kasibayo, who presided over a special criminal session at Masaka High Court.
Galiwango became was arrested in 2018, as part of a group of criminals that terrorized villages in Bukomansimbi, Kalungu and Lwengo districts, where they would break into people’s homes, rob them of their valuables and sometimes murder their victims in cold blood.
He was arrested alongside his other accomplice, Muhammad Kiddawalime, following an attack on four villages in Bukomansimbi district where they are believed to have murdered five people of the same family, who included a retired Senior Police Officer Denis Ssebugwawo, on new year’s eve of 2017.
But the four were first tried for two counts of murder and aggravated robbery, offenses they committed earlier in September 2017, at Kabonera trading center, Kimanya-Kabonera division in Masaka City.
Prosecution led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecution Brian Kalinaki, told the court that while armed with pangas and other machetes, the four attacked the home of Geoffrey Kulabako and murdered two people after the robbery.
According to the evidence before court, during the incident, Kulabako escaped and raised an alarm, prompting the response of Godfrey Mujumba who was instantly murdered by the assailants.
They also badly assaulted a second responder Ibrahim Kulabako, who succumbed to injuries hours after he was admitted to hospital.
Prosecution also told the court that the convicts targeted Kulabako at his music and video library library where he also operated a gaming slot machine; from which they also stole 700,000 shillings.
Kalinaki told the trial judge that the investigations collaborated all the gathered evidence, and pinned the accused persons to the offenses, because some of the surviving victims could identify them after their arrest.
”It is the reason they were arrested and charged in court,” he observed, praying the court convicts them of the offenses.
Throughout the prosecution, the accused persons denied committing the offenses, but declined to present any evidence that would lead to their acquittal.
Ggaliwango demanded that the court first grant him permission for specialized medical care, arguing that he was tortured during his arrest.
He protested that he could not effectively argue the matter before court until he fully recovers from the physical and physiological pain inflicted on him by the security personnel that arrested them.
But in his Judgement, Justice Kasibayo held that the accused persons didn’t convince court on the allegations of torture, thereby proceeding to convict them.
Court ruled that prosecution had adduced evidence that the accused persons were in good health conditions to stand trial.
Accordingly, court convicted them on two murder counts and one of aggravated robbery count before sentencing them to 35 years’ imprisonment on each account to run concurrently.
Despite the first sentence, Ggaliwango and other suspects still await prosecution for other offenses of murder and robberies they are still accused of committing.
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