Man in court over theft of gun from AP camp in Mandera
Hussein Harriet Korio when he appeared at the Mandera Law Courts on January 18, 2019 where he was charged with the theft of an AK-47 rifle from an AP camp in Lafey. He denied the charge and was freed on a Sh500,000 bond. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Korio denied the charge and was released on a Sh500,000 bond with surety.
- Police in Mandera have been investing how Constable Elvis Karani lost the rifle from his hut.
- Constable Karani is also being investigated in order to establish whether he was involved in the loss of his gun.
A man has been charged with the theft of a gun from Lafey Administration Police (AP) Camp in Mandera County.
Mr Hussein Harriet Korio was accused of stealing an AK-47 rifle with two magazines loaded with 60 rounds of ammunition, all valued at Ksh52,400, on January 13, 2019 at Lafey AP Camp with others not before the court.
He denied the charge before Mandera Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Areri and was released on a Sh500,000 bond with surety.
Police in Mandera have been investing how Constable Elvis Karani lost the rifle, serial number 59014147, from his hut.
RESERVIST
Mr Muhamed Hussein Hillow, a police reservist and Ahmed Adan Ibrahim, a civilian who were arrested earlier in connection to the theft, were set free.
Mr Hillow shared the hut with Mr Karani at the AP camp and was arrested at Lafey market a day after the gun went missing.
The two suspects were brought to the Mandera magistrate’s court on Wednesday with police requesting to hold them for five days in order to conclude investigations before charging them but the court granted them two days.
A sworn affidavit by Mr Benson Lenaiki, a DCI officer, indicated that police strongly believed that the two were involved in the loss of the gun.
But on Friday, police produced a different suspect in court.
FREED
“We request the two suspects set free since we have charged another person with the same offence before this court,” prosecutor Allen Mulam said.
A source within the police, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Nation that the police reservist had no hand in the matter and that an AP at the camp could have stolen the gun.
“Investigations are showing the gun was stolen by a fellow AP officer and sold to Mr Korio, now charged, and we shall be getting hold of him soon,” the source said.
FIVE GUNS
According to the source, there were five guns in the hut, three belonging to police reservists and two belonging to the AP officers.
“That is an operation area where not all guns are stored in the armoury for quick response purposes and that is how guns end up in unit huts shared by officers and police reservists,” the source said.
Constable Karani is also being investigated in order to establish whether he was involved in the loss of his gun.
