Thieves raid catholic cemetery, steal metallic crosses
The leaders say metallic crosses are lucrative and are always sold in town as scraps to the scrap dealers.
By Christopher Nyeko
Gulu: The unknown thugs are invading the Gulu archdiocese cemetery in St. Joe Cell, For God Ward, Bardege-Layibi division in Gulu City, getting away with metallic crosses.
The suspects are plucking crosses from the graves, leaving them unmarked.
The area authorities are suspecting the notorious street goons, locally known as Aguu, to be behind the vice since the cemetery has been their hideout.
The leaders say metallic crosses are lucrative and are always sold in town as scraps to the scrap dealers.
The incident has witnessed the metallic gates of the cemetery and numerous metallic crosses being removed from the graves.
Ms. Auma Grace, the LCI chairperson of St. Joe Cell, says Aguu had earlier this year shifted their hideout to the Archdiocese Cemetery after the Gulu city authority installed the solar street light along the Pope John Paul II road area.
The area was once very dark and served as one of their hideouts, prompting them to move behind the cathedral. The area, she says, is dark, bushy, and isolated, which is very conducive to cannabis smoking.
Auma told ugreports.co.ug that apart from removing crosses from the graves, Aguu recently stole chairs from St. Joseph Technical Institute, which is located in the same cell.
Oola Patrick Lumumba, the Mayor of Bardege-Layib Division, says his office has notified the police and requested they put the police boot in that area to help fight the increasing crime in the For God Ward area. The nearby police post is approximately 1 kilometer from the invaded cemetery.
John Byamugisha, the Gulu City Police Commander incharge of west policing division, told our reporter that such cases have not been reported to his office. He urged the local leaders to report them so the police could take immediate action.
Byamugisha also revealed the plan to transfer their current office to For God, which is located in the center. He hopes that when the relocation is done, police response to criminality will be easier.
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