Police in Kampala have started investigating circumstances under which UPDF soldiers attacked a police station and beat everyone, including civilians and the commanders.
The nasty events happened on Wednesday evening when soldiers, led by a commander at the rank of Lieutenant reportedly stormed Lubowa Police Station and beat up officers during a dramatic standoff .
“The soldiers came with eight suspects that they demanded that they be detained at the Police Station. They said the suspects had been arrested in an operation conducted in Lubowa. The OC asked to know they type of operation and the offences against the suspects,” a source said.
It is reported that the commander of the soldiers then became furious but before the officer in charge of the Police station, ASP Innocent Sunday could know it, another group of UPDF soldiers had surrounded the station.
“They put everyone under gun point, beat up the OC and other officers that were on duty, assaulted clients who had come to the station in a period of about 5-10 minutes and drove away after the community gathered.”
According to eyewitnesses, even the eight purported suspects who had been brought by the UPDF soldiers were also badly beaten and six of them are currently admitted at Doctor’s Hospital in Seguku, along Entebbe Road.
Police say up to now, the reason behind the arrest of the eight suspects by the UPDF soldiers is not yet known.
Casualties
Meanwhile, five police officers, including the OC, ASP Innocent Sunday were badly injured and their phones robbed while a number of civilians were also beaten during the mele.
“Three phones of police officers were robbed and a yet to be established number of phones and other items belonging to civilians who had come to the station,” a source privy to the matter said.
Meanwhile, a case of aggravated robbery and attempted murder have been opened against the soldiers after they put the Police officers on gun point.