Junius
JF-Expert Member
- Mar 11, 2009
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Na Mwinyi Sadallah
Suspected bandits on Wednesday waylaid a bus carrying members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives and fired at them at Malagarasi in Kigoma Region.
The members of the House Communication and Construction Committee were on their way to Dar es Salaam from Kigoma where they had gone to learn ways of operating power plants in the region.
The leader of the delegation, Deputy Minister for Water, Construction and Energy, Tafana Kassim Mzee, said unidentified people believed to be bandits blocked the road with logs and started shooting at their bus.
He said some bullets broke the buses` window glasses.
Mzee said the incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the legislators were heading to Dar es Salaam after a study tour in the region.
He said upon reaching Malagarasi Bridge, they found logs placed across the road and police officers who were escorting them ordered the driver to immediately change the direction and go back.
Mzee said the officers also ordered them to lie low under their seats.
``As we were obeying the order we saw people in Tanzania People`s Defence Forces uniforms emerging from the bush and started firing at us,`` he said.
He added: As the bandits were approaching our bus, the officers, who were escorting us, got out of the bus and started exchanging fire with the bandits,`` said Mzee.
Mzee said the bandits were overpowered and ran way.
We were driven back to Kigoma safely. But it was a nasty experience,`` he added.
The legislators included Mzee Ramadhan Nyonje Pandu, Hamad Masoud, Othman Ali.
Others were Zakia Omara Juma, Subeti Khamis Faki, Hindu Hamad Khamis, Ali Denge, Makame Ame Ussi, Omar Ali Jadi, Kamal Basha Pandu and an officer from Zanzibar Electricity Company, Ahmed Shehe Saleh.
The delegation is still in Kigoma Region and is expected to travel back by plane.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Suspected bandits on Wednesday waylaid a bus carrying members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives and fired at them at Malagarasi in Kigoma Region.
The members of the House Communication and Construction Committee were on their way to Dar es Salaam from Kigoma where they had gone to learn ways of operating power plants in the region.
The leader of the delegation, Deputy Minister for Water, Construction and Energy, Tafana Kassim Mzee, said unidentified people believed to be bandits blocked the road with logs and started shooting at their bus.
He said some bullets broke the buses` window glasses.
Mzee said the incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the legislators were heading to Dar es Salaam after a study tour in the region.
He said upon reaching Malagarasi Bridge, they found logs placed across the road and police officers who were escorting them ordered the driver to immediately change the direction and go back.
Mzee said the officers also ordered them to lie low under their seats.
``As we were obeying the order we saw people in Tanzania People`s Defence Forces uniforms emerging from the bush and started firing at us,`` he said.
He added: As the bandits were approaching our bus, the officers, who were escorting us, got out of the bus and started exchanging fire with the bandits,`` said Mzee.
Mzee said the bandits were overpowered and ran way.
We were driven back to Kigoma safely. But it was a nasty experience,`` he added.
The legislators included Mzee Ramadhan Nyonje Pandu, Hamad Masoud, Othman Ali.
Others were Zakia Omara Juma, Subeti Khamis Faki, Hindu Hamad Khamis, Ali Denge, Makame Ame Ussi, Omar Ali Jadi, Kamal Basha Pandu and an officer from Zanzibar Electricity Company, Ahmed Shehe Saleh.
The delegation is still in Kigoma Region and is expected to travel back by plane.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN