Moses Acidri, a 24-year-old saloon operator, succumbed to gunshot wounds reportedly inflicted by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement officers during an operation in Okollo Town Council. The incident occurred as the URA officers attempted to recover unregistered motorcycles, and Acidri was shot in the stomach. He later died at Nebbi General Hospital after undergoing surgery.
Three other victims of the shooting, Patience Atizuyo (13), Derick Opari (22), and Jovan (19), remain in critical condition at Nebbi General Hospital. Local officials have expressed concern over the use of force against unarmed civilians and are demanding the arrest of the involved officers.
Ronald Afidra Olema, the Member of Parliament for Lower Madi County, called for lasting solutions to prevent such incidents in West Nile and emphasized the need to resolve the matter amicably.
A team of four officials from URA headquarters in Kampala has been dispatched to West Nile to investigate the incident. The enforcement team’s actions, which involved opening fire during a confrontation with residents attempting to block the impoundment of a motorcycle, have sparked outrage.
Eyewitness Chispus Obuni Sunday stated that URA officers resorted to shooting when confronted by a crowd of residents throwing stones at them. Silvester Kiwanuka, the Uganda Revenue Authority Customs manager for the Northern region, declined to provide details about the incident, citing his current leave.
LC III Chairperson David Agbara condemned the incident, urging URA to sensitize locals about the importance of tax payment rather than resorting to violence. This incident follows a similar one less than two months ago, where URA enforcement officers were involved in a fatal accident while chasing a suspected motorcyclist in Arua city, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to two others.
