By Mike Rwothomio

Police in Adjumani District rescued nine individuals from a suspected human trafficking operation at IQM Guest House in Adjumani Town, On October 12, 2025

The victims, identified as Abdul Rashid Ali Ahli, Fatma Mohamed, Hassan Khalid, Hanad Daahir, Abdulahi Ahmed, Tesfahewed Tesfa Mario, Jamal Abdi, Abukari Yusuf Omar, and Naom Weldemicher, were taken to Adjumani Police Station for safety.

According to SP Collins Asea, the North West Nile regional police spokesperson, five victims were trafficked from Kenya, while four are Somali refugees residing in Uganda.

The trafficked victims.photo/Police

The group, consisting of one woman and eight men, had no prior connection and met only at the guest house.

Asea stated that a tip-off led to a police raid, where the victims were found locked in two rooms.

"Preliminary investigations show the victims were transported from Kampala to Adjumani by saloon cars, lured by false promises of employment in Juba. All nine are Somali nationals, either from Kenya or registered refugees living in Kampala’s Kisenyi area, and are unemployed," he said.

The operation was triggered by a tip from a woman named Gloria, alerted by her Kenyan friend, Olupot Joseph, about his brother and others being held.

Using GPS, police located the guest house and acted swiftly. The owners reported that the rooms were rented to an unknown group who failed to pay and disappeared.

Efforts to contact the main suspect have been unsuccessful, as their phone was switched off.

Asea noted that the victims are currently at IQM Guest House in Odriyi Cell while police collaborate with local leaders to reunite them with their families.

Authorities are actively pursuing the suspect and urge anyone with information to come forward. The case is logged as ADJ CRB 605/2025 and remains under investigation.

Human trafficking is a growing issue in Uganda, with 1,068 cases reported in 2024, up from 1,006 in 2023, according to the Uganda Police Force. Child trafficking accounted for 597 cases, a 27% increase from 2023, with Bukedi and Kampala as major hotspots.

Poverty and deceptive promises of jobs or education continue to drive the crime.Despite a slight decline in overall crime, underreporting and porous borders pose ongoing challenges. Police have trained nearly 1,800 officers and are calling for public cooperation to combat trafficking.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot informations