Police disperse rowdy Iganga Muslims

Sep 18, 2012

The Police in the eastern district of Iganga Tuesday morning fired tear gas canisters at rowdy Muslim youth who had started demolishing a disputed house in Iganga town.

 By George Bita        
                        
The Police in the eastern district of Iganga Tuesday morning fired tear gas canisters at rowdy Muslim youth who had started demolishing a disputed house in Iganga town.

Muslim youth were shouting calling their colleagues to join them at Mecca Mosque by 7.00am. Almost an hour later, they were led by the mosque chairman Abubaker Walubi to the disputed iron-sheet house located along the Main Street.

The rowdy crowd then started plucking iron-sheets off the house prompting a police patrol van to ferry in about 10 policemen to monitor the situation from a close distance.

Iganga district police commander, Herbert Nuwagaba, talked to Walubi briefly but it seemed there was a stalemate that led to police to swing into action by firing teargas.

There were running battles on Old Market street and Wagoina road as police tried to arrest some stone-throwing youth.

While some boys pelted policemen with stones, others ran for water to soothe their teary eyes.

Faisal Kadau, a resident told New Vision that the house belonged to the Muslim community but one of their own called Muhammad Mugolofa was allegedly trying to privatize the structure leading to the dispute.

"He went ahead to even put up a billboard reading 'Mugolofa and Sons' on our property and we cannot stand it at all. We shall fight for what is rightfully ours," Kadau argued.

Walubi said the Muslim authorities had talked to Mugolofa but he remained adamant about handing over the property to the rightful owners.

Mugolofa, in an earlier interview, told the press that the house had been in his family’s custody for over 90 years adding that he had helped refurbish it to its current status.

Nuwagaba argued that police could not simply stand and look on while rowdy people destroyed and looted property broad daylight.

 

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