By KT Reporter
Security operatives in Adjumani District are holding over 60 people for illegally entering Zoka Central Forest Reserve in a bid to reportedly occupy land within the protected area.
Information obtained from police indicates that the suspects were rounded up following a coordinated operation by the police and the army on Thursday, November 20, 2025, in Malira Village, Zoka Parish, Itirikwa Sub-county, Adjumani District.
Collins Asea, the police spokesperson for the North West Nile region, explains that the operation was prompted by intelligence received from the Zoka Army Detachment about a large group of people converging in the forest with the apparent intention of claiming their ancestral land in Acholi Bay, a section of the gazetted Zoka Central Forest Reserve.
“Over 200 individuals were observed moving in large groups with the apparent intention of occupying land,” Asea said in a statement.
According to Asea, the individuals, armed with farming tools including pangas and hand hoes, were sighted in the forest, which prompted a joint team of police officers and the army to swiftly respond to the scene, leading to the arrest of 60 suspects.
“Among those detained, 10 suspects were transported to the Central Police Station (CPS) in Adjumani for further processing, while over 50 others were taken to Maji 2 Police Station for screening,” he said.
Shuaib Toko, the Adjumani Resident District Commissioner, cautioned the locals to desist from the practice of illegal settlements in the protected area. He further appealed for calm as efforts are made to identify and arrest those who remain at large. Zoka Central Forest Reserve, which covers an estimated 1,259 hectares of land, has, over the past years, been under severe threats from illegal logging, charcoal production, and illegal settlements. Furthermore, a section of the forest reserve locally known as Apaa has been a point of contestation since 2006, following the creation of Amuru District.
-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
