Ezekiel Emitu, the Aswa River Region Police Commander identified the officers as Assistant Muhindo Baraka, the Aswa Regional Environmental Officer and Gracious Aguti the Forest Supervisor for Nwoya and Amuru districts.
Two senior police officers have been arrested for demolishing five
huts in Amuru district.
Ezekiel Emitu, the Aswa River Region Police Commander identified the officers
as Assistant Muhindo Baraka, the Aswa Regional Environmental Officer and
Gracious Aguti the Forest Supervisor for Nwoya and Amuru districts.
They were arrested on Thursday evening on orders of Deputy Director of Police
Operations Senior Commissioner of Police John Nuwagira who led an operation to
the affected area on Thursday.
Ezekiel says that the two on May 12th sanctioned operation in Wii
Ceri Forest Reserve in Labala Parish Pabbo Sub County Amuru district and demolished
five newly built huts belonging to residents.
It is alleged that the operations followed intelligence report that there were
encroachment and human activities such as farming and charcoal burning on the
6470 hectares Wii Ceri Forest reserve which was gazetted in 1954.
//Cue in: ‘’I would like…
Cue out: …Amuru and Nwoya.’’//
Ezekiel added that files of the two have been forwarded to Resident States
Attorney for sanctioning.
Tom Okello Ebong, the Executive Director for NFA, says that NFA officials, police
and the army went on a fact-finding mission in the affected area on Thursday
and discovered that the huts were indeed demolished.
Okello, however, warned members of the public against taking advantage of the
Covid-19 pandemic to encroach on forest reserves.
Christopher
Odongkara, the Pabbo Sub County Chairperson, however, faulted NFA for not
involving district leadership while carrying out their operations.
Emmy Daniel Ojara
Freelancer