In the early hours of Monday, June 2, 2025, residents of Kabira Village in Kamengo Subcounty, Mpigi District, woke up to shocking news. A well-coordinated and violent robbery took place at the Oil Well Petrol Station, located along the busy Kampala–Masaka highway.
The incident happened around 3:30 a.m., when a group of unknown men, some armed with an AK-47 rifle and others carrying pangas, pickaxes, and sticks, stormed the petrol station from multiple directions.
The attackers, whose faces were covered with masks, targeted the station while most people were still asleep. They overpowered two security guards and a pump attendant, tying them up and locking them inside a room. One of the guards, Afowrwoth Godwin, a 25-year-old from Nebbi District, was injured in the face while trying to resist the attackers. The robbers made off with two pump-action guns—both registered with serial numbers 479H23PT82 and 479H23PT88—and several rounds of ammunition.
The guards were employed by Canoni Security Company Limited. At the time of the attack, one guard was positioned behind the petrol station with his gun, while the other was stationed at the front. The pump attendant had gone inside to get his jacket. The station manager, 26-year-old Abdul Ismail Hassan, a Somali national, was resting at his nearby home when the attack occurred.
The thugs didn’t stop at stealing the weapons—they also broke into the safe room and took an estimated 27 million shillings in cash. To hide their identities and destroy evidence, they also stole the CCTV camera storage system after tampering with the surveillance system.
Police, led by DPC SP Kuzaala Robert and supported by officers from Kamengo Police Station, responded quickly. The scene was thoroughly examined by the CID, Crime Intelligence, and SOCO teams. Unfortunately, the police sniffer dog from Mpigi had died two weeks earlier and had not yet been replaced, so assistance was requested from Butambala District.
In a surprising turn of events, the two stolen guns were later recovered just 100 meters from the scene of the crime. Investigations are currently ongoing, and police are working hard to identify and arrest the criminals behind this daring robbery.
This incident has left many in the community shocked and concerned about security along the Kampala-Masaka highway. Authorities are calling on anyone with information to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigations.
