Stray Bullet Injures Three Students At Aliba Seed SS During Strike In Arua City
ARUA: Three students at Aliba Seed Secondary School in Arua City were injured by a stray bullet allegedly fired by police officers dispersing a group of students during a strike on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
The unrest stemmed from allegations of gender-based discrimination in the school’s disciplinary actions, with students claiming that male students faced harsher punishments, such as suspensions and dismissals, compared to female students for similar offenses.
The strike was triggered by the suspension of a male student on Tuesday evening for possessing a phone and consuming alcohol.
The following morning, students demanded an explanation from the school’s disciplinary committee.
As the deputy head teacher and committee members engaged in dialogue with the students, a whistleblower alerted the police, who arrived to protect school property.
During the operation, a stray bullet struck a Senior One student in the right leg, while two others sustained minor injuries.
The Deputy Head Teacher, Christopher Aroma, confirmed that the injured student is receiving treatment at Arua Regional Referral Hospital.
The shooting further escalated tensions, leading students to damage school property, including classroom windows, office doors, and parts of the girls’ dormitory.
“As we began addressing the students, police arrived and saw a large group of day-section students gathered, observing the situation,” Aroma explained.
“The environment was chaotic, so the police fired a shot into the air to disperse the crowd. Some students fled, while others threw stones. I later learned that one of our students was shot in the leg, which sparked further unrest.”
Aroma noted significant damage, including broken windows in the Senior One and Senior Four classrooms, office windows, and parts of the girls’ dormitory, as some male students accused the administration of favoring female students.
SP Collins Asea, the Police Public Relations Officer for North and West Nile, confirmed the incident, stating that the bullet was fired into the air to control the rowdy students but inadvertently injured one student, with two others hurt in the chaos.
He emphasized that the police acted to protect government property.
Aliba Seed Secondary School, originally a community school, has grown to accommodate over 450 students and was later supported by government funding to become a seed school.