At least 38 cows belonging to Pastor George Baguma have been hacked to death, 45 others are missing while four houses torched down by irate residents of Bwera Village in Kyangwali Sub-county, Kikuube District.
The incident occurred when the State House Land Protection Unit personnel on Wednesday morning arrested five area residents after Pastor Baguma of Bwera Miracle Church sought its intervention.
The impasse emanated from a land wrangle between Ps Baguma aka Kagenyi and the residents including his elder brother Mr George Kamuhanda.
The pastor accused the residents of allegedly encroaching on his land coercing him to seek court redress.
In the event, Ps Baguma acquired a court order to evict the residents but in vain prompting him to rush to the State House Land Protection Unit that swung into action and arrested the suspects.
This act infuriated the residents who barricaded the road with logs for some hours in an attempt to bar the Unit personnel from taking away their fellow residents until live bullets were fired into the air, thus, diffusing the enraged residents.
However, after fleeing the scene, the residents who had already run amok regrouped and invaded Ps Baguma’s farm where they killed 38 cows and set ablaze four houses purportedly destroying his two motorcycles and bicycles.
Until that time, the residents accused Ps Baguma and seven others of allegedly killing John Turyamureba but the Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Jane Frances Abodo, exonerated him, triggering anger among the residents.
However, Ps Baguma denies he killed Turyamureba claiming that the residents are framing him to grab his land.
The Kikuube RDC, Mr Amlan Tumusiime, condemns the violence warning people against taking the law into their hands.
By press time, the police, Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldiers and the RDC had pitched camp in the currently deserted village.
ASP Julius Allan Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police Public Relations Officer, says police are hunting for the culprits.
