Dar es Salaam: IFM students march to protest Kigamboni crime wave

BY DEVOTA MWACHANG`A

Students of the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) in Dar es Salaam yesterday marched to the Ministry of Home Affairs protesting a wave of crimes at hostels in Kigamboni.

The students who marched from the institute grounds to the police headquarters said that force had failed to take action against bandits who have been stealing students’ properties including laptops, mobile phones and money, despite the fact that they had reported the incidents.

Failing to gain entry into the police headquarters, the students headed to the Kigamboni, overloading the MV Magogoni and causing services to be suspended for over three hours while the pontoon operators sought guidance from the management and later on the Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Suleiman Kova who after meeting with staff of Ferry Management managed to convince the students to be moved across in groups.

IFM students’ organisation President Michael Charles said they wanted to meet with Commander Kova to hear actions to be taken by the government against the bandits because they have been reporting the theft incidents to the police, but no action has been taken.

“We have been reporting these incidents for about a year and we have the police reports (RB). We also met with Officer Commanding District Kigamboni over the issue, but the situation has not improved. We are forced to believe that police may be involved in these acts,” he said.

He said about 80 percent of IFM students were living in Kigamboni, asking what actions the police were taking against students who have been affected by the crimes including reports of some being sodomised.

Temeke Regional Police Commander Englebert Kiondo confirmed to have received the reports about the bandits over a month ago, blaming the OCD for failing to make a follow on the reports.

He said the students had demanded security during day and night, but that this could not be implemented, for there had been no prior discussion on the matter.

He clarified that it was impossible for the police to provide such security to the students because the hostels were privately owned.

Kiondo blamed the students for not reporting the matter to Kigamboni police station, although the students insisted that they did and had evidence of RBs.

In a meeting with the students, Commander Kova directed the police to record the crimes which had been reported by the students and investigate them fully.

He also directed them to check whether regulations governing the establishment of hostels were followed by collaborating with landlords and students leaders.

Kova announced a special operation to hunt for the criminals effective yesterday and called upon wananchi to collaborate with police by disclosing the names of people suspected to be involved in the crimes.

Earlier arriving at Kigamboni, the students invaded areas they claim were converging points for criminals, before invading Machava police station.

Police were forced to use tear gas to disperse the angry students who were accusing the police of failing to take action to stamp out the crime.

The students’ demonstration came only a day after The Guardian reported that a sizeable number of students from various universities, colleges and schools putting up at private hostels at Kigamboni in Dar es Salaam are living in deep and pervasive fear for their lives and the safety of their property follows a wave of raids at the hostels, most often at night, believed to involve criminal elements from neighboring areas hunting for laptops, mobile phones, money and various other valuables.

The sources said two of the raids had left at least two male students seriously injured, one nursing machete wounds and admitted to the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI). One of the students hurt was said to be from the main (Dar es Salaam) campus of the Institute of Finance Management (IFM).

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (15/01/2013): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=50141