Police in Kabale is hunting for suspects behind the murder of a man who allegedly stole a pig.
This is the second incident of murder in the district, in a space of a week, resulting from the theft of a pig.
Kigezi region police spokesperson Elly Maate on Monday said a man later identified as Crispus Nahabwe, commonly known as Gaddafi, was murdered in cold blood in the wee hours of Monday morning.
This was after unknown assailants pounced on him and left him in a pool of blood. Nahabwe was a resident of Makanga cell, Butobere ward in Kabale.
The murder incident was first reported to Police by Phillip Betomwe, a 76-year-old resident of Kitumbi.
Preliminary investigations by Police indicate that Betomwe was heard screaming and begging for mercy shortly before the killers finished him off. His body was found lifeless the next morning, with deep cuts on his head and both legs.
“It is alleged that he was caught stealing a pig in the neighbouring village of Omutaba, and he took off to Kabura cell where the yet to be identified villagers got him and assaulted him to death,” Maate said.
Upon notification, Police swung into action and visited the scene with a sniffer dog. This eventually led them to the home of a man identified as Junior, who has since fled his residence.
Gaddafi’s body was taken to Kabale Regional Referral hospital mortuary pending a postmortem.
First incident
Police in Kabale on Sunday arrested five people who murdered three people for allegedly stealing a pig.
It is alleged that on September 19, the above suspects killed a trio only identified by their surnames; Akampurira, Akampereza and Niwagaba, over the alleged theft of the animal.
It, however, turns out; these were mere allegations as the pig in question was later found on the next day at the home of the complainant.
Murders escalating
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga in a joint security weekly press briefing held on Monday indicated that many incidents of murder were reported throughout the country.
According to police records, of the 91 incidents registered, murder had the highest number of incidents reported with 24 cases.
There were sudden deaths (8 cases), murder resulting from aggravated domestic violence and murder by shooting (six cases).
Other cases reported to Police included aggravated robbery and suspected murder, five cases respectively.
