Nyabugogo residents have requested the police to seek an immediate solution to the rampant thefts at the Nyabugogo Bridge. The bridge is a subway for vehicles from Ruhengeri and Kibuye roads. Residents say that traffic lights at the bridge favour the thieves [street children] to off load things from vehicles. “When the red traffic light is on, these unruly street kids grab whatever they can before the cars,” asserts John Muhire, a resident. Many people have been robbed at the spot. Pickup cars are especially targeted. “Two days back, I noticed three crates of soda being off loaded from my vehicle though I had no way to stop it,” says Muhire. According to Felician Gakuba, a nearby petrol station attendant, these thefts start at 6:00pm. A big group of street children come from nowhere and surround the place. “They start with pick pocketing after which they resort to off loading cars” Gakuba narrates. He adds that women have been robbed of money, jewellery, mobile phones and other things. At times it turns into a battle when people try to resist being robbed. “This gang is well equipped with razor blades and knives. People no longer resist because they prefer their lives to material things,” he says. Nyabugogo dwellers report seeing these street children with drugs, this has alarmed the residents’ security. According to them, these thugs are between the ages of thirteen and twenty. Police spokesman John Uwamungu confirms that the police is aware of the problem and that they are working towards solving it completely. He said that police realised the problem at Nyabugogo and put up extra police posts. One station was put at the exit of the Nyabugogo taxi park and the other near the bridge. “The police also put patrol cars at the scene,” Uwamungu said adding that it was being contained. Residents requested that police patrols should be carried out between 6 7.30p.m when thefts are more rampant. Ends
