UWA rangers shoot truck driver dead, injured two other people in Apaa

Apaa, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA rangers have shot dead a truck driver and injured two others in the disputed Apaa area in Amuru district.

Mauriam Abwola, the Apaa Village LC I Chairperson, says the shooting followed a scuffle between the driver identified as Dennis Opio, UWA and UPDF soldiers who had ordered him to offload some of the charcoal from his truck registration number UAU 932G.

He says Opio was shot dead some few meters some from the police and UWA checkpoint as he tried to flee from his truck, whose front tyres had been deflated by the security officers. 

Abwola says two other people, both females who were injured in the scuffle are admitted at St Mary’s Lacor Health Center III in Amuru trading center.  

Patrick Otim, a resident of Apaa says heavily armed UWA and UPDF personnel stormed the trading center and tried to impound charcoal from every vehicle that had parked there. 

He says the security officers later staged a roadblock from where Opio was killed.

Michael Lakony, the Amuru District LC V Chairperson and other local leaders have called for the arrest of the security officers behind Opio’s killing.   

Anthony Akol, the Kilak North MP wonders why UWA should be defying presidential directives not to disturb the residents until the matter is solved.   

Efforts to reach Tony Olinga, the East Madi Wildlife conservation manager were futile he neither picked nor returned calls from our reporter. 

Opio’s death, brings to more than 7, the numbers of people who have been killed since the Apaa boundary disputed started in 2015.

Last year, president Museveni ordered that the status quo on the contested area be maintained while a committee headed by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah finds an amicable solution.  

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