TANZANIA: 8 arrested in connection with attack on clergymen
By The Citizen Correspondents, Iringa.
Eight people have been arrested in connection with robbing and injuring two priests and a watchman in two catholic mission houses in separate incidents in Iringa Region last week.
Angelo Burgio, 60, and Herman Myala, 36, the parish priest and his assistant respectively were seriously injured on Friday night after people armed with guns and machetes broke into their house in Ismani parish and robbed them of cash and mobile phones.
The robbers shot Burgio five times and slashed Myala with machetes while forcing the two to hand over all the cash in their possession. They took off with Sh3.5 million, 100 euros and an unknown number of mobile phones.
A few days earlier robbers had broken into a church building in Kihesa Parish in Iringa town and seriously injured a watchman, Batholomeo Nzigilwa, before taking off with Sh500,000.
Five people were arrested on Saturday, including the mother of one of the suspects, a day after the incident.
Three more people were arrested yesterday but Iringa regional police commander Michael Kamuhanda did not name them.
According to Kamuhanda, investigations were ongoing and the search was continuing for more suspects.
The conditions of the two priests, admitted to Iringa Regional Referral Hospital, have stabilised, according to the hospital’s acting referral medical officer, Dr Faustine Gwanchele.
“We have succeeded to remove five bullets from Burgio’s body through surgery. The condition of Myala is improving but we have had to move Nzigilwa to Muhimbili National Hospital for further treatment,” Dr Gwanchele said.
The minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Co-ordination and Parliamentary Affairs), Mr William Lukuvi, who is also the MP for Ismani Constituency visited the two priests at the hospital and said the attacks had nothing to do with religious antagonism.
Preliminary police investigations indicate that the two incidents were motivated by robbery and not related to religious bigotry.
“I have talked to the Police on the need to strengthen security in all missions and other institutions around the region to avoid the escalation of such incidents,” Mr Lukuvi told reporters yesterday.
Speaking from his hospital bed Myala said it seemed the robbers were either from the village or had somebody who knew the house well.
“They seemed to know their way around the house pretty well,” he said while recounting on the fateful day’s incidence.
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