According to Michael Longole, the Mount Moroto Regional Police spokesperson, the suspects are currently in custody at the Napak Central Police Station awaiting court proceedings.
Michael Longole, the Mt Moroto regional police spokesperson told URN that the suspects are in custody in Napak central police station waiting to be arraigned before courts of law.
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Some of the road equipments which were vandalized.
Police
in Napak district have apprehended two suspects for vandalizing road
installations along the Matany-Kokeris road. The incident was reported by
vigilant staff from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) who were
conducting routine surveillance on July 5, 2023. The suspects allegedly used an
axle blade to sever 14 road signposts and subsequently sold them to scrap
dealers.
The
suspects are David Ongom, 29, and Isaac Loyile, 25, both residents of Longalom
village in Matany sub-county, Napak district. According to Michael Longole, the
Mount Moroto Regional Police spokesperson, the suspects are currently in
custody at the Napak Central Police Station awaiting court proceedings.
In
response to the incident, a team of detectives and uniformed personnel visited
the scene, gathering evidence and taking photographs. Statements from witnesses
were also recorded to support the ongoing investigation. All 14 vandalized road
signposts have been successfully recovered from the scrap dealers and are
being held as crucial exhibits. The implicated scrap dealers have been summoned
to the CPS Napak for further interrogation.
Longole emphasized the importance of road
signposts as vital markers for the safety and well-being of road users. Emmanuel
Moru, a resident of Matany town council, expressed concern over the growing
problem of metal vandalism, including road signs and iron bars for fencing. He
attributed the act to the high demand and ready market for scrap materials,
which has driven some youth to search for anything metallic for survival.
Moru revealed that traffic road signs
installed along the roads are being directly uprooted from the ground. ‘’Initially,
they used to collect the signposts that are knocked down by speeding vehicles but as of now they have started pulling even those that are standing
in a good position’’ Moru said. He further highlighted that government
institutions have also fallen victim to vandalism, as youth roam around town in
search of scraps to sell.
