IGP Ochola salutes two police officers for turning down shs1 million bribe

The Inspector General of Police, John Martins Okoth Ochola has hailed two police officers for turning down a shs1 million bribe so as to drop a case involving robbery.

According to Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, in an incident that happened on the evening of March, 11, 2022, a man was attacked and stabbed by men brandishing knives and robbed of shs60,000 in Lungujja, prompting him to make an alarm.

Enanga explains that in the resultant melee, police officers on routine patrol intervened and arrested three suspects including Ivan Akanijuka, Barnabas Kavuma and Ivan Kato and detained them at Old Kampala Police Division.

He says the trio are part of the gang behind attacks and robbery of pedestrians walking back home.

“However in the course of the investigations, Detective Constable Stanley Ibanda, the investigating officer and his OC station, ASP Omar Karim were faced with an attempt of bribery from one Oliver Asiimwe for them to forego an investigations and potential prosecution of her brother Ivan Akanijuka on robbery charges,”Enanga said.

He explained that when Asiimwe suggested the idea of shs1 million bribe to Ibanda who was directly investigating the case, he reported the matter to his boss, the Officer in Charge of Old Kampala Police Division and laid a trap.

“Instead of secretly taking the bribe, Detective Constable Ibanda decided to turn to his superior and later arrested the suspect. The IGP has thanked the officers because what they did was outstanding representative of the work by the Uganda Police Force in promoting transparency, integrity and professionalism in doing its job,”Enanga says.

The police spokesperson says such behaviour is what is expected of all police officers in the course of the duty so as to raise the police flag high.

“We also warn the public that there are consequences in trying to bribe police officers. This offence is punishable by law.”