By Mike Rwothomio
Arua City, Uganda: A joint security force of police and UPDF in West Nile on Friday evening arrested a 46-year-old boda boda rider after he was found ferrying an AK-47 rifle loaded with 50 rounds of ammunition near the DRC border.
The suspect, identified as Atabua Patrick, a Lugbara resident of Maracha Cell in Ayivu East Division, was intercepted in Odramacaku Trading Centre following a joint intelligence-led operation by the Police Crime Intelligence Unit and the UPDF.
West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson SSP Josephine Angucia said the arrest follows weeks of violent armed robberies in Arua City, with intelligence pointing to a group of gun-wielding suspects targeting businesses and cargo trucks.
“Credible information showed the group was planning to rob a truck delivering beer to Odramacaku Trading Centre. Our team laid an ambush and arrested Atabua before the attack could be carried out,” Angucia said.
Police recovered an AK-47 rifle, serial number 052956-2956, loaded with 50 live rounds. The motorcycle he was riding, a TVS Star registration UGC 172T, was also impounded.
A search conducted at the suspect’s home in Maracha Cell did not yield additional weapons or accomplice leads. Atabua is currently detained at Arua Central Police Station under CRB 832/2025, facing charges of unlawful possession of a firearm.
The arrest is the second major seizure of an illegal AK-47 in Arua City this month. On November 2, police arrested Asiimwe Benson with an AK-47 and two magazines while attempting to board a Kampala-bound vehicle at Nsambya Shell Station.
Angucia commended residents for providing actionable intelligence and warned criminals still hiding firearms to surrender them before the law catches up with them.
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