Baragoi cattle raid leaves police officer dead, three others injured

A senior police officer was yesterday killed and three others seriously injured by armed cattle rustlers at Marti area in Samburu North sub county.

Samburu County Police Commander Karanja Muiruri has confirmed the attack adding that the deceased and the injured officers were among a group of more than 50 police officers who had recovered 50 cattle that had been stolen in a raid in which two children were also abducted by cattle rustlers at Suyan area in Samburu North Sub County on Sunday.

After rescuing the children on Monday, darkness struck and had to suspend the operation until on Tuesday afternoon after national police reservists traced footsteps of the suspected cattle rustlers to Charda area.

“…from there yesterday the sub county commander and his team traced the footsteps to a place where they recovered the stolen livestock, while on their way with those cattle to Marti police station they were ambushed, a situation that forced them to engage the raiders in a gun fire exchange up to 6pm, unfortunately we have lost one of our inspector and we have three casualties,” he said.

 

The injured are admitted at Samburu County Referral Hospital in Maralal Town where they are receiving treatment as the deceased’s body is kept at the same hospital’s mortuary.

The Medical Superintendent at the hospital Dr Silas Lodoke said the victims who sustained various injuries have been attended to by doctors and are in stable condition.

The medical superintendent further said that the doctors are attending to the victims in the theatre after which they will be referred to Nairobi for specialized treatment.

“we received three casualties from Marti, two with gunshot wounds on the right and left arm respectively, the other one sustained abdominal trauma after a fall, our doctors put in theatre for surgical toilet and all patients are currently in stable condition, after theatre we are planning to refer them to Nairobi for further treatment as we have already organized with the right authority,” he said.