Kisumu Boda Boda Operators Aid Police Officers In Capturing Notorious Gang

A thug who was part of an armed gang that staged a robbery at a factory in Kisumu is nursing gunshot injuries under armed security at a Kisumu hospital. This is after the thug, accompanied by four others, escaped with gunshot injuries but decided to check in to a hospital for medical assistance.

In a scene that also left Nyamasaria residents mesmerized, police officers hiked lifts on motorbikes to give chase after the thugs who escaped in a getaway white Toyota Probox, unlike in other reported cases where Boda Boda guys aid thugs in accomplishing their missions.

Earlier, police officers based at Nyamasaria patrol base received information that five thugs had invaded Mabati Millers in Nyamasaria and ordered everyone to lie down before ransacking their pockets for mobile phones, cash and other valuables. The thugs also took away a cash box containing an unspecified amount of money.

As the thugs staged their escape minutes later, two officers under the command of Senior sergeant Kennedy Saina, the officer commanding the Nyamasaria Patrol base, arrived at the scene on foot. They tried to flag down the Toyota Probox ferrying the five thugs, but the vehicle sped past the officers leaving a thick cloud of dust, missing Senior Saina by inches.

In the ensuing melee, Boda Boda riders who had witnessed the incident from the periphery rushed to the scene and beckoned the officers who stood there resignedly pondering their next move to hike a lift on their bikes and give chase. “Omera idh apiko walaw jokuogegi,” they challenged the officers in unison. “Let’s chase after them,” the determined men said as they raved the bikes noisily, ready to take off!

Torn between dissuading them from following the thugs due to the dangers involved and turning down the offer, the officers reluctantly chose the latter. Seconds later, three motorbikes chasing after the Probox vroomed onomatopoeically past Nyamasaria, towards Rabuor, as Senior Saina and his two officers stood on the footrest of their bikes and launched a volley of fire from their firearms that deflated the vehicle’s rear tyres.

However, the determined driver didn’t stop the ill-fated vehicle that drove past Mowlem towards Ragumo road. On reaching Oyola junction, the car suddenly stopped, and the thugs dashed to the thickets surrounding Oyola village, as Senior Saina and his men relaunched their onslaught against the fleeing thugs from a safe distance. Hours later, detectives got wind that a man hiding under a tree near Oyola junction was clandestinely seeking treatment for multiple gunshot injuries on his back.

The man identified as Peter Ochieng, who was positively identified as one of the thugs, is currently receiving treatment under tight security at a hospital in Kisumu. The abandoned vehicle was impounded, and one homemade pistol, 5 mobile phones,  and an empty cash box were recovered. Also recovered was vehicle plate number KCE 942E.

The courage exhibited by the men from the port city oblivious of the dangers they were exposing themselves to, won the admiration of Senior Sergeant Saina, an old guard who has served with distinction in different capacities.

Luckily, none of them was injured. Meanwhile, a manhunt for the remaining suspects is currently.

Article by John Kachibo