TWO ARRESTED, LOGGING EQUIPMENT IMPOUNDED IN MOYO
SP Asea Collins the North West Nile regional police spokesperson
By Ganiko Samson Bullen.
Moyo
Two people have been arrested and several items impounded following a joint operation targeting illegal logging in Otce Sub-county, Moyo District.
The operation, conducted earlier this week by the Moyo District Forestry Office, the LC5 office, the district technical team and security agencies, led to the seizure of two power saw machines, 20 litres of fuel, a tractor and several logs.
The operation also resulted in the arrest of two suspected illegal logging dealers.
According to Isaac Drajuruga, the Secretary for Finance and Administration in the Office of the Moyo District LC5, the operation is part of efforts to implement the President’s directives on combating environmental degradation.
“These people are tampering with the protected tree species that are supposed to be protected,” Drajuruga noted.
He says the suspects entered the district without notifying the authorities and did not have the necessary documentation or authorization from the district.
“I want all the illegal logs to all come out before any action is taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, SP Abel Muwonge, the Moyo District Police Commander, identified the suspects in custody as Sula Mugoya and Matavu Steven.
Muwonge says the suspects were allegedly found cutting and destroying protected trees using documents that police described as illegal.
“They were charged at Otce Police Station for cutting, damaging, destroying and removing protected trees without the consent of the Minister of Natural Resources and the District Council,” the DPC stated.
The Moyo District Chairperson, Vukoni Jimmy Okudi, has urged people involved in the logging business to follow the proper procedures before cutting trees.
Okudi says the process starts at village level, where local council leaders and their committees are informed before an application is forwarded to the sub-county and eventually to the district for consideration and approval.
He says following the proper process will help authorities regulate logging activities and protect the district’s forest resources.
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