Yesterday evening,June 6, 2023, suspected Pokot warriors allegedly staged an ambush that resulted in the shooting and death of Rapheal Opio Akol, a police constable assigned to Nakapiripirit’s central police station.
Mike Longole, the Mount Moroto regional police spokesperson, together with the Nakapiripirit District Police Commander (DPC) and the investigation team, visited the scene and confirmed that the police officer was killed at around 11 p.m.
Longole said that they recovered two cartridges, a bow, and six arrows from the scene, and through a successful ambush with the UPDF, one warrior was captured.
“We strongly condemn this act of gun violence; we commend our colleagues in the UPDF for their brave and tactful response, which led to the elimination of one cattle rustler; and we assure the public that every effort will be made to bring to justice all individuals involved in this crime,” he said.
Longole said that last week on Thursday, a joint security operation by the UPDF and the police killed two suspected Karamojong warriors after raiding 220 heads of cattle from Nakuyon village in Namalu sub-county in Nakapiripirit district.
The police spokesperson said that the body of the constable Opio was taken to Moroto Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem examination as the investigation into the incident continues.
The gun violence this year has intensified, with over 14 cases reported in the month of May. However, these cases have continued to rise.