By KT Reporter
An operation by police and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has led to the arrest of more than 90 suspected criminal gang members in Gulu City.
Aswa Region Police Spokesperson David Ongom Mudong said the intelligence-led operation was carried out on February 15 and 16th 2026. It targeted criminal cells operating within Gulu Central Business District and the neighbouring divisions of Gulu City East and Gulu City West.
The coordinated crackdown focused on identified hotspots, including Cemetery Road, areas opposite GASCO Petrol Station, and Prisons Ward in Laroo-Pece Division and Bardege-Layibi Division.
Mudong said the suspects have been terrorising residents at night and disrupting businesses within the city centre and surrounding areas.
“Joint security components of the Police and the Army have intensified disruptive intelligence-led operations targeting criminal cells within the Gulu Central Business District and its neighbouring divisions. The operation will continue until sanity is fully restored in the city,” Mudong stated.
During the arrests, some of the suspects were reportedly found in possession of marijuana, housebreaking implements, and sharp knives. The recovered items have since been exhibited as evidence.
Preliminary screening, according to police, revealed that a number of the suspects were recently released from prison under plea bargain arrangements, while others had been sentenced to community service but allegedly defaulted and failed to reform.
According to Mudong, screening of the suspects, including taking fingerprints are being undertaken to help document and trace their previous criminal records.
While statements have been recorded from both the suspects and other relevant witnesses.
Mudong added that the case file will be submitted to the Resident State Attorney (RSA) for legal guidance before the suspects are arraigned in court.
Security agencies have vowed to sustain the operation as part of efforts to guarantee safety and restore order within Gulu City and its surrounding neighbourhoods.
The operation comes just days after a group of criminal gangs terrorized traders along Cemetery Road after the killing of one of their members. The rowdy gangs, in retaliation, injured two people, vandalized several chapati-making stalls, and set ablaze four shops, mostly belonging to non-natives in the sub-region.
Peter Banya, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner in charge of the Laroo-Pece Division, told Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Monday that 17 suspected gang members were arrested immediately following the attacks.
Banya pledged that security will work tirelessly to wipe out the criminal gangs cell within the city to ensure the safety of residents and night traders.
In a related development, police are also holding two suspects in connection with illegal possession of ammunition.
The suspects have been identified as Joshua Opwomungu, 18, and Willy Kilama, 40, both residents of Pece Prisons Cell, Prison Ward in Laroo-Pecce Division, Gulu City. They are currently detained at Gulu City East Policing Division over alleged illegal possession of a magazine loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.
Preliminary information indicates that on February 15, 2026, at around 7:00 a.m., a resident identified as Ouma Benard Oweka reported to Gulu City East Police Station after discovering a loaded magazine wrapped in a white cover under his bed while cleaning his room.
Oweka reportedly told police that he had earlier entrusted his house keys to neighbours identified as Komakech Moses, Aciro, and Layet while he was away.
Police say investigations into the source and ownership of the ammunition are ongoing.
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