‘His luck ran out’ - police nab fugitive, jail escapee

A man police say had evaded arrest for close to two years was re-arrested at a house in Ekuku, Oshakati, on Monday morning, days after armed robbers stole N$56 141 from a man outside a local bank ATM.Simeon Nangolo, also known as ‘Osama’, was arrested alongside four other suspects. Oshana’s head of crime investigations, Deputy Commissioner John Matongwe, described the nearly two-year search for Nangolo as a “cat-and-mouse” pursuit.“His luck ran out,” Matongwe said.Nangolo made his first appearance at the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in connection with his jailbreak and was denied bail. He is expected to appear today on charges related to the robbery.Nangolo was also a fugitive wanted in connection with the attack that killed Ondangwa prosecutor Justine Shiweda, a police detective has confirmed. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday in connection with that case.“Yes indeed, that’s the fugitive we were busy looking for… who allegedly poured acid on Justine,” an official told Namibian Sun on Tuesday morning.Shiweda was shot and doused with a corrosive substance outside her Ondangwa home on 17 October 2025. She died from her injuries in February this year. Seven people have so far appeared in court in connection with the attack. Back in jail Matongwe said investigators had been on Nangolo’s trail since his escape from custody in December 2024.While at large, he is alleged to have committed other robberies, putting him back on the police’s radar. He is also suspected of being involved in a robbery at Rani Mini Market in Okahao.“Whenever police received information about where he was, Nangolo had left the area by the time officers arrived,” he said. The Okahao robbery was reported in June.Nangolo had escaped custody while facing allegations involving robberies and murder, according to the information provided by police. Investigators have yet to detail the charges he and the four others will face following Monday’s arrests.Car crashesThe latest robbery took place outside a local bank ATM in Oshakati last week. Police say armed suspects ambushed a man who was about to deposit cash, fired shots, slashed a tyre and tore his backpack before snatching N$56 141 and fleeing in a white VW Polo.Their escape took another turn when the Polo collided with a Toyota Corolla and struck a stationary VW Golf 6. The suspects allegedly fired through the Golf’s windows, forced its female driver out and drove away in her car.Police later found the car abandoned in Oshakati West. They say the suspects transferred to a waiting white Toyota Camry and escaped. Firearms and a knife believed to have been used in the robbery were recovered, but police said the stolen cash had not been recovered.

‘His luck ran out’ - police nab fugitive, jail escapee

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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‘His luck ran out’ - police nab fugitive, jail escapee

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-30

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