Seven killed in police station attack

Dar es Salaam. Police have launched a manhunt after seven people were killed and an unspecified number of firearms stolen when armed gangsters attacked a major police station in Dar es Salaam on Sunday night.

Four officers stationed at Stakishari Police Station in Ukonga, Ilala District, and two civilians were shot dead during the raid. The seventh person was believed to be a member of the gang, who was gunned down by his accomplices as they fired indiscriminately during their escape.

Inspector General of Police Ernest Mangu declined to state the number of guns stolen during the raid, saying investigations were still going on, but reliable sources said the gang fled with more than 20 firearms.

The gangsters also stole a “large amount” of ammunition during the raid, which was the latest in a series of attacks on police stations in various parts of the country in recent months.

How the attack happened

At around 10.45pm, a group of people, whose number could not be immediately established, arrived at the police station posing as civilians who wanted service at the Charge Room Office (CRO).

Mr Mangu said as officers on night shift were about to ask the strangers to identify themselves before deciding whether to allow them in, the gangsters opened fire without warning. Gunfire rent the air as the gangsters and police officers exchanged fire, sparking panic in the neighbourhood.

Four of the six officers on duty died at the scene, Mr Mangu said.

An eyewitness who lives near the station told The Citizen that a woman police officer miraculously escaped unhurt when she hid in the women’s cell.

Another officer was shot in the shoulder and is admitted to Amana Hospital along with three civilians, who were also wounded in the raid.

Reports said after killing the officers, the gangsters broke into the police station’s armoury and grabbed all firearms stored in the room. They also took an unspecified amount of ammunition.

Mr Mangu visited the station at around 11am accompanied by Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander Suleiman Kova and police spokesperson Advera Bulimba. The police station was cordoned off and out of bounds to civilians.

Upon seeing the IGP, suspects in the cells started shouting that they were hungry after their relatives were blocked from bringing them food.

Mr Mangu vowed that the perpetrators would be arrested and brought to justice.

He said there was nothing so far to suggest that the raid was a terrorist attack.

“I cannot say at this point whether this was a terrorist attack. We’re still investigating. What I can say is that this was a dastardly and brazen act perpetrated by hard-core criminals.”

Mr Mangu said it was too early to state the number of firearms and rounds of ammunition taken during the raid, and told the media to be patient as detectives investigated the incident.

However, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick earlier told reporters at the scene that the gangsters made off with a “huge number” of firearms.

“If I tell you the number you will be shocked, but you will get it from the police,’’ said Mr Sadick, who also chairs the region’s defence and security committee.

There were also reports that the gang also took a walkie-talkie from the station, although this was not confirmed by Mr Mangu.

Police sources told The Citizen that Stakishari was in the category of police stations that were supposed to be manned by at least eight officers at night. However, there were only six officers on duty when the station was attacked.

They said such stations had big armouries, adding that the gangsters had taken “very many firearms” if indeed it was true that they had emptied the Stakishari armoury.

“In such stations, the armoury key is kept by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Officer Commanding District (OCD) or any other senior officer because it contains many weapons,’’ one of the sources said.

He added that it was possible that all the criminals wanted were guns and ammunition.

Cases where armed gangsters attack police stations under the cover of darkness and take guns from armouries have been on the rise in recent months.

Thirteen police officers have been killed in attacks on police stations and on officers on patrol in various parts of the country since the beginning of last year.

Sunday’s raid took place less than four months after three officers manning a roadblock in Vikindu, Coast Region, were attacked by machete-wielding gangsters, who shot two of them dead after disarming them. The third officer escaped with gunshot wounds.

The thugs escaped into the nearby Vikindu forest with two firearms taken from the slain officers. Stations that were attacked prior to the Stakishari incident and the number of guns stolen in brackets were: Newala in Mtwara Region (three); Ikwiriri in Rufiji District (seven); Kimanzichana in Mkuranga District (five) and Ushirombo in Bukombe District (18).

Officers on patrol were attacked in Pugu Machinjioni, Dar es Salaam, and Tanga and robbed of three guns.

The number of officers killed is one (Newala), one (Kimanzichana), two (Ikwiriri), three (Ushirombo) and four (Stakishari). Dozens of officers were wounded in the attacks.