Summary:

• Unknown armed assailants shot and killed Bonny Ojok, a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier and mobile money operator in Gulu City. Ojok was attacked by two gunmen disguised as customers, stabbed, and then shot twice in the stomach, resulting in his death.

Unknown armed thugs have shot dead a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier after raiding his mobile money outlet in Gulu City. The deceased soldier identified as Bonny Ojok was reportedly shot at around 9:45 Pm Tuesday from his mobile money Kiosk at Lacor Trading Center in Bardege-Layibi Division. Ojok was also reportedly a teacher at Gulu Army Secondary School in Gulu City.

Preliminary police reports indicate that Ojok was attacked from his kiosk by two gunmen dressed in green military jackets who had disguised as customers. The assailants reportedly stabbed Ojok after a brief scuffle and later shot him twice in the stomach before robbing him of two mobile phones and a backpack suspected to be containing an unspecified amount of money.

They reportedly fled the crime scene through a dark corridor using a standby motorcycle of one of their accomplices. Aswa West Police Spokesperson, David Ongom Mudong noted that Ojok succumbed to the gunshot injuries after being rushed to St Mary’s Hospital Lacor for emergency treatment. Mudong said the crime scene was visited by a team of police detectives and flying squad personnel who retrieved two cartridges that will be used to investigate the murder.

He cautioned mobile money operators and other businessmen to be cautious and urged them to hire security guards for their safety. Mudong says no arrest has yet been made but noted that police were actively pursuing the assailants having found evidential valuable information from the crime scene. A case of murder by shooting and aggravated robbery has been registered under SD Ref. 31/19/12/2023 at Lacor Police Post under the Gulu City West Policing Division.

In July this year, gunmen dressed in UPDF uniforms raided a mobile money shop in Lacan Kwite Cell in Bardege-Layibi Division and shot dead a mobile operator identified as Kenneth Olobo. This was just barely a month after unknown thugs shot and injured another mobile money and agent banking operator identified as Charles Mutabazi in Gulu City on June 14 before abandoning an AK47 assault rifle about 300 meters from the crime scene.