Violent mob, led by LC1 Chairperson, attacks Nebbi school amid land dispute
Authorities are urging both parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue rather than violence, while the investigation remains ongoing.
Nebbi: Police in Nebbi District have launched a criminal investigation following violent clashes on April 4, 2025, between the Nyipir Primary School community comprising parents, teachers, and workers and the neighboring Alenga Upper community.
The unrest, allegedly led by Local Council 1 (LC1) Chairperson Mungu Jakisa Robert of Alenga Village, resulted in the destruction of 20 grass-thatched homes in Alenga Upper Village, Padolo Sub-County.
The conflict began on April 3, 2025, around 12:00 PM, when a group from Alenga Upper, reportedly armed with pangas, attacked pupils burning grass on school property.
West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson SP Collins Asea confirmed that the attack was linked to a longstanding land dispute between the school administration and the Alenga Upper community.
The contested land was donated in the 1950s by a Nyipir community elder for the purposes of a school and church but has become the subject of reclamation efforts by descendants from Alenga Upper Valley/Adolo Parish, who resorted to violent tactics.
Later that night, around 11:00 PM, the mob escalated the conflict by setting fire to the grass-thatched home of Mr. Oyungi Bonny, Chairman of the School Management Committee, located approximately one kilometer from the school.
In retaliation, Nyipir community members, mainly parents, launched an attack on Alenga Upper Village on April 4, 2025, at around 8:00 AM, burning an additional 19 homes.
SP Asea confirmed that the conflict stems from a prior court ruling three years ago, which upheld the school’s ownership as a government institution.
A police team, led by the District Police Commander (DPC) of Nebbi, has been deployed to secure the area, bringing the situation under control. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported, although unspecified property damage has occurred.
Authorities are urging both parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue rather than violence, while the investigation remains ongoing.
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