By TZ Business News Staff.
Tanzania’s Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro has urged Tanzanians with more money to buy guns for self protection because the world has become a village in which a Tanzanian can be targeted by criminals from other countries.
He made the remark in Dar es Salaam on Friday, October 19, 2018 during a press conference in which he discussed a wide range of national security matters.
“Let me say this to my brothers who are able to have weapons, those who have financial capacity, it is good to have a weapon of your own,” IGP Sirro said. “the weapon will help you because the world has changed.
At this point the IGP was discussing the kidnapping of Mohammed Dewji (also known as Mo) from Colosseum hotel gym in Dar es Salaam on October 11, 2018 as he was on his way out.
“A crime against you may not be committed by a Tanzanian, but a crime might be committed to you by a person from outside Tanzania,” he said, “because the world has now become a village; it is therefore good to be vigilant.”
In some places people move with assistants to help them in case of trouble, Sirro said, adding that the police know Mohammed Dewji has a weapon but it so happened that on the day of his kidnap he had not carried his weapon; and worse still, he is usually taken to places by his driver but on that day he did the driving himself.
The 43 year old Mohammed Dewji, East Africa’s richest man was released by his kidnappers on Friday night in a move not yet fully explained. The well armed kidnappers dumped him at Gymkhana grounds and fled away.
They left at the scene their vehicle together with four guns, one AK47, 3 pistols and 35 bullets, Sirro told reporters on Saturday, adding that the kidnappers tried to burn the vehicle before they fled.
Tanzania Inspector General of Police Simon Sirro
The motive for the kidnapping is still unclear, although the IGP linked it to money during the Friday press conference. Commander of the Dar es Salaam Police Special Zone, Lazaro Benedict Mambosasa, had earlier quoted Dewji as telling police his captors spoke a South African language. The IGP later said “all indications still show that the kidnappers were foreigners”. But he differed with Mambosasa when he said we are told they were speaking English and very little Swahili.
The IGP told reporters on Saturday, October 20, 2018 that the kidnappers demanded cash but were hesitant to call Mo’s father when they were given his phone number.
Sirro said Tanzania police were working closely with the International Police on the Dewji issue and they already have the identity of the owner of the car which was used in the kidnapping, as well as identy of the driver.
“We already have the identities of the owner of the vehicle and the driver. Before they released Mo we were already very close on their trail,” Sirro told reporters.
At the Friday press conference, the IGP described the security situation in Tanzania as peaceful (shwari). But he revealed that the terrorists linked to killings in the Kibiti,Lindi and Mtwara areas were not under control. Some had been killed,he said and the few that escaped the wrath have fled to Mozambique.
The IGP warned, however, that because of the good working relationship that exists between Tanzania and Mozambique, these fleeing terrorists will be caught.
Some 104 fleeing terrorists were intercepted just a couple of days ago as they attempted to escape to Mozambique, Sirro said. “Our borders are sacure,” he said.
