LCs warned on land disputes

Mar 16, 2009

THE Police in Gulu district have been ordered to arrest local leaders who incite violence by making unfair judgments on land issues.

By Chris Ocowun

THE Police in Gulu district have been ordered to arrest local leaders who incite violence by making unfair judgments on land issues.

The regional Police spokesman, Johnson Kilama, accompanied by members of the district reconciliation and peace team, issued the order on Thursday during the reconciliation of two families of Paidwee and Paidongo parishes involved in a land dispute.

“Those LCs who make unfair ruling on land matters should be arrested. Those who encroach on other people’s land should also be arrested to reduce cases of land disputes,” Kilama told Augustine Obwong, the officer in-charge of Bobi sub-county Police post.

He said local leaders demand goat meat before presiding over land disputes.

Kilama said the leaders fuelled land disputes in the areas where internally displaced people were returning.

He added that the Police had registered several cases of criminal trespass, violence and assault as a result of land disputes.

Obwong said many people had accused the leaders of Paidwee and Paidongo parishes of demanding bribes before settling land matters.

“We warned them against passing biased judgments,” he said.

The remarks followed Benson Oyaro’s arrest for assaulting Josephine Aciro, who he accused of digging in a disputed piece of land.

The Police, with the reconciliation team, ordered Oyaro to apologise to Aciro before he could be released.

The leader of the reconciliation team, Paul Ojok, who is also the Bobi sub-county LC5 councillor, said it was a shame for elected leaders to fight development.

He warned members of the community to desist from fighting each other over land, saying they need to unite as they return to their villages.

Adyeba village residents accused the woman councillor of Bobi and Lakwana sub-counties of trying to grab Adyeba Primary School land, saying this had hindered the expansion of the school.

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