Man Arrested in Apac For Assaulting Traffic Officer on Duty

Police in Apac District has arrested Moses Orec for allegedly assaulting a traffic police officer on duty.

Orec, a resident of Lela Village, Awila Parish, Akokoro Sub-County Apac District was arrested on Thursday after he assaulted John Tenywa, a traffic police officer.

It is alleged that Tenywa while on duty stopped Orec who was riding on a motorcycle along the Akokoro-Apac road but Orec declined to stop, forcing Tenywa and another officer to pursue him.

When Orec was intercepted he assaulted the traffic officers who later managed to overpower him, arrest and briefly detain him at Aluga police post. However, while being transported on a motorcycle to Apac CPS, they were involved in an accident.

Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Police Spokesperson says that the suspect turned violent as he was being taken to the police station causing the policeman to lose control. 

According to Okema, preliminary findings show that the suspect was afraid of being taken to Apac Police Station because he has been on the run for a crime he committed last year.

"It was established later that Orec had a sanctioned file of assault against one Felix Ogwal, a resident of Ariyo yat cell in Akokoro Sub-County an incident which occurred in 2021 but all along he was on run," Okema said.

In 2020, two people were charged on allegations of assaulting two traffic police officers.

The two reportedly beat up the traffic officers Emmanuel Tumuhibise and Thomas Kamusiime who were carrying out their duties in Ngetta along the Kigtum-Lira road. 

The suspects who were on a motorbike from Ngetta sub county heading towards Lira Town were stopped by the traffic officers who were implementing the presidential directives on boda-boda not to carry passengers. The suspects picked up a fight with the officers after they had been stopped.

The incident was recorded on camera by a passerby who later uploaded it up on social media drawing criticism.