Police in Mbarara City have rescued 78 youths who were allegedly recruited into an organisation identified as AIM Global Alliance in Motion after being promised employment opportunities and quick financial gains.
The youths, mostly aged between 18 and 30 years and drawn from different parts of the country, were found operating in the Rubirizi area under circumstances police are investigating, including allegations linked to possible criminal activities.
The rescue operation is part of an ongoing crackdown by security agencies on suspected recruitment networks accused of luring young people with promises of lucrative opportunities.
Rwizi Region Police spokesperson SP Samson Kasasira said investigations indicate that while many of those recovered were initially victims, some later became involved in recruiting others into the same network.
“Police at Mbarara Central Police Station have been able to recover 78 victims of trafficking. Of the 78, some victims have ended up becoming suspects because they have been recruiting on behalf of people they do not know or may never have met to join this organisation called AIM Global Alliance in Motion,” Kasasira said.
He said police operations conducted from May to date have led to the rescue of 384 victims, with investigations showing that some rescued individuals allegedly transitioned into recruiters.
“So far, from May to date, we have been able to rescue 384 victims, and among them, some turned into suspects because they also started recruiting others with promises of making money,” he said.
Police said most of the youths were found living in groups in congested rented rooms during the operations.
“These young people, most of them have been living in groups in small rooms where we pick them from,” Kasasira said.
He added that police, in collaboration with other agencies including the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), are working to reunite the rescued youths with their families in districts including West Nile, Kayunga, Jinja and Iganga.
Kasasira also warned landlords against allowing suspicious tenancy arrangements that could facilitate criminal activities.
“We are going to continue engaging landlords to report these cases because it is abnormal for someone to rent a house and then have 10 people sleeping in one room. If they do not adhere to our guidelines, they can also be charged,” he warned.
Police said investigations into the suspected human trafficking networks and recruitment activities are ongoing.
