Police in Burera district yesterday arrested five men for allegedly attempting to smuggle 2,055 kilograms of fertilizers into Uganda.
According to Police sources in Burera, the five men were arrested by security forces at around 10PM near the Cyanika border post while trying to cross the fertilizers to Uganda using a Daihatsu truck.
Police investigations indicate that, the smugglers had planned to drop the fertilizers at Mugo trading center where it would later be taken to Uganda by one Rukara who had acted as a middle man in the crime.
The arrested have been identified as; Gilbert Nzabarinda, Pierre Serugendo, Jean Bosco Mbarimombazi, Damascene Biziyaremye and Innocent Tuyiringire. They are all detained at Gahunga Police station.
Police Spokesperson Superintendent Theos Badege condemned the criminal act and warned that those involved in siphoning goods meant for common interest shall be dealt with.
Badege stressed that the arrest should be a warning to whoever harbours thoughts of committing the same crime that Police will never tolerate them.
“Fertilizers are meant to help local farmers increase farm production and thus improve their standards of living but not for private interests”, Badege noted.
Referring to fertilizer thieves as anti-development, he called on the public to shun people with such ideas and instead share information about any dubious activities so that they can be apprehended and brought to book.
Police is doing investigation to apprehend two more persons still on the run one of them according to Police had working agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture to distribute fertilizers to both Nyabihu and Rubavu district.
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