A gang injured a police officer and stole seven guns during a raid at a police station.
Constable Ezekiel Juma sustained deep cuts on his head following the attack on Booker Police Post in Mumias.
And the officer was left unattended for more than one hour after the attack. He reportedly was the only one manning the post when the raiders struck and stole G3 rifles and 140 bullets.
“We usually have four officers manning the post at any given time but when the crooks came in, they found one officer. The other three had responded to a distress call elsewhere,” said Western Regional police boss Moses Ombati.
The statement contradicted suggestions by the public that the post is “ever deserted with only one or two officers at any given time.”
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KEY WITNESS
Police admitted that it would be difficult getting information to recover the guns and ammunition as the key witness, Juma, was in an unstable condition at the St Mary’s Hospital in Mumias.
“We have to start from zero in tracking the suspects because the best suited person to feed us with information cannot speak at the moment. He was seriously injured and is receiving treatment at St. Mary’s Hospital. Nonetheless, operations have started to hunt down the suspects from all corners,” said Ombati of the attack which occurred between 4am and 5:30am yesterday.
The gang made away with all the German-manufactured riffles save for “a few pistols and gun oil.”
Ballistics experts and detectives dusted several places at the post for fingerprints as the crime scene remained sealed off for civilians for close to one hour.
Yesterday, St Mary’s Hospital made preparations to transfer the officer to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret for specialsed treatment.
“We booked the injured officer at 5:30am. He suffered deep cuts in the head and had lost a lot of blood. The cuts appeared to have been caused by a sharp object most likely a panga. We gave him first aid treatment and sent him for a CT scan before referring him to a hospital with intensive care unit,” said Michael Mugo, the hospital’s administrator.
According to police, the attack was executed after 4am when the in-charge of Mumias police had passed by the post, which is located 500m from Mumias Sugar factory and sandwiched between Mumias Complex Primary, Nabongo club and Khetia’s supermarket.
When the officer in charge of patrols returned at 5:30am, he found the post broken into.
A contingent of security heads led by county commissioner Kang’ethe Thuku, western regional police bosses; for regular police Moses Ombati, regional AP commandant Paul Kerich and DCI’s Ambrose Munyasia, visited the post.
They dispatched one vehicle, believed to be carrying Flying Squad officers, and five other vehicles carrying officers from the regular and Administration Police to unknown areas.
WATCHMAN PICKED
A watchman guarding the adjacent Khetia’s supermarket was also picked by one of the police vehicles that left for the operation.
Truckloads of the General Service Unit were spotted in Matungu where police appeared to have centred their operation.
The gang is believed to have taken Juma’s mobile phone which was tracked to Matungu, according to a detective who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity.
Police were at first hesitant to address the Press, fearing it would compromise investigations but later addressed the media.
“We have already put road-blocks on the three major highways surrounding Mumias division and our officers are out on operation. We are optimistic the suspects will be arrested,” said Munyasia.
The officers could not speak further on who the suspects could be, whether they could be terrorists as was the case in Hamey Patrol base in Garissa.
“We cannot divulge much. We do not know who they are and their motive. Allow us to compete the operation,” said Ombati.
A police chopper later in the afternoon flew to Mumias from the police headquarters in Nairobi with personnel.
Mumias OCPD Farah Mohamed declined to talk to the media.
