Police in Kikuube District are investigating the murder of a boda-boda rider whose body was recovered from a sugarcane plantation two weeks after he went missing. The deceased has been identified as Gerald Ayebale, 26, a resident of Kanyegaramire village, in Kidooma parish, Kizirafumbi Sub County in Kikuube District.
He was reportedly hired from his boda-boda stage by two male passengers who told him to transport them to an unknown destination. He never returned to his boda-boda stage, prompting relatives, fellow riders, and police to begin a search.
Deus Bashabomwe, the Kidooma Parish Councilor, says residents in the area became suspicious after waiting for Ayebale to return home in vain. This compelled them to report the matter to police. Police immediately joined residents in searching for the missing person in vain.
However, after two weeks of serious search, residents discovered the body of the deceased over the weekend on Saturday, dumped in a sugarcane plantation in Lusaka village, Kidooma parish in Kizirafumbi Sub County in Kikuube district. The body had deep cuts on the head, face, neck, back, and both hands.
The assailants also made off with his motorcycle, registration number UGH 845W, a Bajaj. Bashabomwe has described the killing as shocking and appealed to the police to expedite investigations to ensure that the suspects are apprehended and charged accordingly.
According to Bashabomwe, at least six motorcycles have been robbed from riders in the area in a spate of five months only, creating security concerns.
Julius Hakiza, the Albertine region police spokesperson, has confirmed the incident, adding that the hunt for the assailants who participated in the brutal murder of the boda-boda rider is ongoing.
Hakiza has urged boda-boda riders in the district to remain vigilant, especially when transporting unfamiliar passengers, particularly at night. He advised riders to always inform colleagues or stage leaders about their destinations and, where possible, avoid travelling alone to isolated or high-risk areas.
He has appealed to members of the public to liaise with security by providing information that could help in the arrest and detention of the suspects. Meanwhile, police picked up the deceased’s body and conveyed it to the Kikuube Health Center IV Mortuary for postmortem examinations and later handed it over to the relatives for burial arrangements.
In July, Police in Kagadi District instituted investigations into the murder of a boda-boda rider whose body was recovered from a forest three days after he went missing. The deceased was then identified as Musilamu Tamale, 20, a resident of Kiryanga Village in Kiryanga Sub-county.
Tamale then went missing for three days after picking up a female passenger on his Bajaj motorcycle. He never returned to his boda-boda stage, prompting relatives, fellow riders, and police to begin a search. His body was later discovered in Ruzaire Forest in Kabaseke Village, Kagadi District. The body had bruises on the neck, legs, and hands, indicating that he may have been strangled before his body was dumped in the forest. The assailants also fled with his motorcycle, which has not yet been recovered-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
