Two Arrested for Assaulting Ex-MP Atiku

ARUA. At least two people have been arrested and detained at Manibe police station in Ayivu Division, Arua city for assaulting former Ayivu County Member of Parliament (MP), Bernard Atiku.

The duo was in the company of over 20 youths who stormed Binze primary school (PS) in Oluko ward, Ayivu East Division where Atiku and other leaders of Ayivu Development Agency (ADA) were sensitizing locals on socio-economic transformation on Sunday, August 4, 2024.

Josephine Angucia, the North Western police spokesperson, confirmed the arrest and said police are still hunting for the remaining youths who are still at large as investigations continue into the matter vide CRB 151/2024.

“The incident took place on Sunday where we were violently attacked by youths who were mobilized to disperse the social economic transformation sensitization meeting which was legally convened at Binze primary school. For the record, this is not the first time an attack of this nature has occurred. I remember very well during the dissemination of the physical development plan for Arua city in Adumi, a former sub-county, I was violently singled out and attacked by a group that was mobilized by the area MP, John Lematia,” said Atiku when asked about the assault.

“The people who attacked me are his close friends and accomplices. In the clip that was captured, one of his supporters was swearing that he will kill me. I reported this matter to police, the file was prepared but when it reached the State Attorney’s office, this file was closed under mysterious circumstances. As if that was not enough, I was violently attacked on Mission Road in Ediofe by a group calling themselves Save Ayivu Initiative (SAI) which is being bankrolled by Hon. Lematia and the matter went up to court,” Atiku added.

He said instead, his file was shelved at Ayivu Division police station where he reported the matter and the file of the suspects was sanctioned until he was charged with assault.

“So, what happened on Sunday was not a surprise because the public has been incited to attack the person of Atiku Bernard in any forum he appears. No wonder when these youths came to Binze PS, they were looking for Atiku Bernard. They were abusing me; they were assaulting me as a person. It is all because Hon. Lematia and his group of SAI think Atiku Bernard should be no more in matters of governance and politics of Ayivu Division,” Atiku remarked.

He, however, vowed that despite the threats to his life, he is not going to back off from the mandate as a former Member of Parliament, of sensitizing his people on social-economic empowerment and fostering unity among them.

“For your information, this meeting was agreed upon by the stakeholders from Ayivu. They thought the people of Ayivu should be united. They sent us to go and preach out the message of peace and unity, people should embrace government programs like PDM so that they can alleviate poverty, people should embrace land registration so that they can avoid future land conflicts. That is what took us there under the auspices of ADA which is one of the first NGOs in the West Nile region, only to be attacked by the youths influenced by Lematia,” Atiku stressed.

Alice Candiru, the ADA Vice Chairperson, also accused Hon. Lematia of mobilizing the youths to attack them because he doesn’t want to see the people of Ayivu united.

“Our plan was to move in the whole of Ayivu to sensitize our people on social-economic transformation and unity. Our first meeting was at Binze PS in Ayive East Division and thereafter, we could move to other places including Ayivu West Division but because Hon. Lematia doesn’t want to see our people united, he mobilized those youths through Tom Aniku who was one of his former campaign agents during the 2016 campaigns,” Candiru said.

According to Candiru, before the beginning of the meeting, Aniku came and asked the headteacher of the school not to allow the sitting to take place but the headteacher refused, prompting him to go and mobilize the youths to come and fight them.

“We had just started the meeting only to hear a group of youths entering the school gate while shouting and insulting Bernard Atiku. We tried to ask them to calm down and first sit to hear what we were saying but all in vain. One of them jumped and smashed Atiku’s phone while others started boxing us and up to now my right arm is still in pain. When we started defending ourselves, we overpowered them, forcing the majority to take off but we managed to arrest two of them,” Candiru explained.

Candiru said the two who were later handed over to police testified that Aniku bought for them alcohol worth shs30,000 to come and disperse the meeting, which money, she claimed was sent to Aniku by Hon. Lematia.

Lino Anguyo, one of the participants, called upon the security team to investigate Lematia and also bring to book all the other youths who took part in the attack, including Aniku.

Charles Ichogor, the Arua Resident City Commissioner (RCC) warned the youths not to accept to be used by anybody because when the law catches up with them, they will suffer alone.

“You will suffer alone; the sponsors will be eating bread and butter in hotels. So, do not accept to be misled. If you have grievances, come to my office. The few elements trying to disorganize the prosperity of Arua city and more so, the leaders should stand warned,” Ichogor said.

He noted that as security, they are not going to tolerate hooliganism in the city because the population is already peaceful.

“It is now time for us to work. We have been yawning for electricity, then a few individuals organized the young boys to go and attack a training on social-economic transformation, I condemn the act in totality. Investigations are ongoing and I want to say that the attackers and the sponsors of hooliganism in this city are going to be brought to book by all means,” Ichogor promised.

But when contacted on phone, Hon. Lematia denied any involvement in the Sunday attack, saying the incident found him in Kampala.

Lematia argued that the meeting wasn’t even in his area of jurisdiction, a reason he has no influence over the youths who attacked Atiku and his team of ADA.

“Binze is not in my jurisdiction, I have my boundary. I’m the MP of Ayivu West, how can I go past an area which is not under me, what interest do I have? Unless otherwise, if the whole thing was in my area, then that is when I would say maybe they can claim. I want the security to investigate and show evidence whether I gave the money said to the people and did I send it on mobile money or did I send it through bank. That is a fake statement, I can’t lower myself to that extent of cheap politics of giving shs30,000 for people to go and disorganize a meeting,” Lematia said in defence.

The ADA team has, however, vowed to continue with their meetings as earlier planned across Ayivu Division despite the attack on the first day.