School director, two others survive lynching over land
David Dagira (left) and Yusuf Idude thrown onto the ground by the irate mob. Photo by Yazid Yolisigira
What you need to know:
- The trio was put on a police patrol pickup and taken to Iganga Police Station amidst deafening ululations from locals.
- The Iganga District Police Commander, Mr Nasibu Ndita, said investigations into the matter are underway.
IGANGA- The director of Iganga School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mr David Baliddawa, and two others on Sunday survived being lynched by angry residents of Iwawu Village, Bulamagi Sub-County in Iganga District over a land dispute.
Mr Baliddawa and his accomplices, Yusuf Idude and David Dagira were accused of fraudulently leasing out land belonging to residents neighbouring the school, without their consent. They allegedly even acquired a land title in May 2016.
In a meeting hastily convened by the village LC1 vice chairman, William Mwene, to solve the matter, the affected residents, numbering about 15 families, demanded that Mr Baliddawa cancels the land title.
“It is true mistakes were made by my surveyor but when I tried to go to the ministry of lands, the commissioner told me the title cannot be cancelled but can only be rectified,” Mr Baliddawa told the meeting.
And to reaffirm his point, he introduced Mr Idude and Mr Dagira, who were seated next to him, as officials dispatched by the commissioner of lands to convey his message regarding the matter.
However, when the residents demanded for the identity cards of the two ‘lands officials’, it was discovered that they were residents of Budaka District.
They trio was immediately thrown to the ground and flogged as they wailed in agony to be forgiven.
Mr Fred Galaga, one of the affected residents, said the matter came to light when ministry of lands officials denied them chance to lease their land, claiming it was owned by Mr Baliddawa who had even secured a land title.
“When I went to the ministry of lands, I was told that my land was sitting on the land title of Iganga School of Nursing and Midwifery and that they could not process another title,” Mr Galaga said, adding that matters were made worse when residents discovered that even the said land title was acquired before the land was surveyed.
Police rushed to the village to rescue the two and the school director who was being guarded by some of his employees.
The trio was put on a police patrol pickup and taken to Iganga Police Station amidst deafening ululations from locals.
The Iganga District Police Commander, Mr Nasibu Ndita, said investigations into the matter are underway.
