Following the operation conducted by the Uganda Revenue Authority enforcement team in Madi Okollo District to wipe out unregistered motorcycles, four people were shot during the course of the operation.
According to eyewitness, three of the victims sustained leg injuries, while one was struck in the stomach by a bullet. Shockingly, two barbers and a young girl, allegedly unrelated to the group resisting impoundment, were among the injured.
One of the residents who spoke to us said, , “In the afternoon, URA officials arrived to impound unregistered motorcycles near the Electoral Commission office at Okollo trading center. As they conducted their operations, there was no visible resistance. Suddenly, a stone landed on the roadside. The stone did not reach any of the officers, but despite that, they began firing bullets indiscriminately, targeting innocent individuals engaged in their businesses.”
It is said that one of the four people allegedly shot by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement officers at Madi Okollo Town Council has succumbed to gunshot wounds at Nebbi Hospital, according to authorities.
Deceased Moses Acidri, a resident of Pamachi Village, Adraa Parish, Offaka Sub-county in Madi Okollo District, was shot as UPDF soldiers attached to URA opened fire during an operation to impound a numberless motorcycle.
“We strongly condemn the manner in which our innocent son was killed and others injured. We urge all of us to be calm and wait for the outcome of the intervention of your leaders and the URA commissioner general,” Madi Okollo District lawmaker Joanne Aniku Okia said in a statement.
Locals accused tax collection body officers of “always being trigger happy when dealing with suspected smugglers in the region.” There are no official records to show if any of the shooters have faced the law.
