The fight erupted around 7pm on Monday night after a Nuer teenager from Itula Sub County was accused of stealing maize from a garden belonging to a member of the Kuku ethnic group in Dama village.
A source at Arua Chief Magistrate’s court told URN that the suspects used a master key to open the gate to the cells around 11:00am and escaped. Three other suspects remained in the cells yelling, which attracted the attention of court officials.
Several traders opened their shops in arcades and plazas by 7am, which prompted police to use force including firing bullets and teargas to compel them to close in line with the presidential directives.
Patience Baganzi, the Bulambuli District Police Commander, says after receiving intelligence from community members about the missing gumboots, they decided to arrest all the people involved in the theft.
Richard Komakech, the Amuru Town Council LCIII Chairman notes that they have held several meetings with the encroachers and told them to vacate to pave way for the construction of the school, in vain.
Although, in easing the lockdown, the government lifted the restrictions on malls, the same was maintained in arcades because of the envisaged difficulty in avoiding close contact between people.
"We have capacity to keep cameras operating for eight hours when power has gone off. But in many areas electricity goes off for more than eight hours and cameras go off," Baryamwisaki said.
