Three arrested over break-in at ex-minister Zoe Bakoko’s home

The police in Arua are holding three suspects in connection with a break-in and theft at the residence of former Gender minister, Zoe Bakoko Bakoru.

The burglary occurred on the night of Thursday, shortly after Bakoko returned to her Arua home from Kampala. According to police, the suspects breached the perimeter wall of the property and accessed one of the boys’ quarters, where her driver, Kassim Tusiime, was asleep.

Collins Asea, spokesperson for police in the North and West Nile regions, said the intruders took advantage of a lapse in security.

“Zoe Bakoko and her driver arrived at around 11:30 p.m. and, exhausted from the journey, forgot to lock the metallic door. She woke up at around 3:30 a.m. to find the door open and several belongings missing,” Asea said.

Stolen items included a Samsung J7 Pro mobile phone, Shs 80,000 in cash, a national ID, ATM cards, a pair of jeans trousers, and other personal documents. The documents were later recovered abandoned near the suspects’ residence.

Police launched a manhunt following a tip-off from residents around 3:50 a.m. on Friday. A joint team comprising CID officers, private K9 Security personnel, and the area’s police operations commander tracked down and arrested three suspects in a nearby location.

Preliminary investigations suggest the suspects entered and exited through a breach in the perimeter wall. A case of burglary and theft has been officially opened. The incident comes barely two weeks after Bakoko returned to Arua and announced her intention to contest for the Ayivu East parliamentary seat, currently held by Geoffrey Feta, who is also chairperson of the West Nile Parliamentary Caucus.