More than 100 residents of Pawel Adak in Patiko Sub-county in Gulu district have been left homeless after a deadly revenge attack by locals from Pabbo in Amuru district.
The attack took place on Sunday night at around 10 pm.
A total of 83 huts were razed down in Pawel Adak while property worth millions of shillings was destroyed, and hundreds of livestock including cows, goats, pigs and rabbits looted.
The OC Crime Gulu Central Prison, James Asubu confirmed the incident and said eight people have been arrested following the attacks adding the suspects will be charged with arson and aggravated robbery.
The attacks stemmed from the discovery on Sunday of the body of a boda Boda cyclist from Pabbo hidden in a thicket in Otong village, also in Pabbo sub county.
The dead Boda-Boda has been identified as Walter Okwera 20.
The family of the deceased suspects the involvement of timber dealer in the murder. The dealer is a resident of Pawel Adak in Patiko Sub County. Consequently, armed with machetes, spears, bows and arrows the deceased’s family members from Pabbo attacked Pawel Adak on Sunday night.
Before they stormed Pawek Adak village, the angry mob torched a rice mill in Pabbo estimated at 40 million shillings whose owner they suspect to have been an accomplice in the murder of the Boda- Boda rider.
Earlier on Sunday morning, police dispersed angry relatives of the deceased with live bullets and teargas after they stormed Pabbo police post demanding for the suspects in custody to be handed over to them.
John Acaye, a resident of Pabbo Trading center said the deceased had been hired on Friday to transport two timber dealers from Pabbo to Maro Awobi also in Pabbo Sub County.
“The deceased agreed to transport the timber dealers at Sh40, 000 but he never came back prompting a search for him. When news spread on Sunday that the Boda boda cyclist was killed, an angry mob stormed the village of the suspect in revenge,” said Acaye.
One resident of Pawel Adek, David Rubangakene 28, told Acholi Times that the attackers looted 42 pigs belonging to a youth group in the village. He said the pigs had been given to the youth under he government’s Youth Livelihood project.
He said about 30 youth have been left with no alternative since they had got a loan of Shs 7 million and are expected to pay back Shs 9 million ext month after selling the pigs.
“I am appealing to the government to come to our rescue and bail us the youth in the area out of the loss we have suffered. We want the people who attacked us to be followed so that we recover the stolen pigs,” said Rubangakene.
Amuru woman MP Ms Lucy Akello in an interview condemned the gruesome killings of the Boda Boda cyclist and the revenge attacks waged by the Amuru residents on the suspect’s relatives in Pawel Adak village in Patiko Sub County in Gulu district.