Pader (URN)
Pader district authorities have instituted a 5 pm curfew in Pader Town Council following the escalation of tension triggered by riots that started on Monday and continued into the later part of Tuesday.
The riots started on Monday when police arrested a mother roasting maize by the roadside around 7 pm for violating the curfew restrictions leaving her 2-months old baby along the road.
The arrest of the mother did not go down well with some youths. They tried to stop the police prompting the officers to fire live bullets in the air to disperse them.
A businesswoman who didn’t want to be named narrated to URN that the rioters demanded to meet the Resident District Commissioner and District Police Commander on Tuesday morning to explain why they start enforcing curfew time at 7 pm yet the official time is 9 pm.
She says that to calm the rioters; they were treated to disco dance the whole of last night. Therefore, on Tuesday morning, many were drunk and started demanding to talk to the DPC and RDC.
However, the program was immediately changed because the LC III chairperson wanted to talk to the RDC and DPC. This development angered the business people, who picked up crude weapons and started destroying property at the district headquarters.
They pelted vehicles and attacked businesspersons who had not closed their shops.
Pader LC V Chairperson, Retired Colonel Fearless Obwoya told URN on Tuesday evening that the rioters destroyed glass windows at the district headquarters, looted the Coca Cola and Riham depots and attacked the Bantus in the district forcing them to deploy the police in the town council around 5 pm to control the situation.
He blamed the police for starting the scuffle by firing live bullets at unarmed civilians and enforcing curfew before the designated time.
The LC V Chairperson said the curfew will last as long as the people are still rebellious. When contacted Pader Resident District Commissioner, Dusman Okee declined to comment on the matter, saying that he was on a parade.
