ADJUMANI.More than 60 people are behind bars for allegedly encroaching on Zoka Central Forest Reserve in Adjumani District.
The arrests were made on November 20, 2025, at about 1:00 PM after security received intelligence suggesting a mass mobilization into Acholi Bay, a section of the reserve located in Malira Village, Zoka Parish, Itirikwa Sub-county.
According to North West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Collins Asea, a joint team comprising the Zoka Army Detachment, Zoka Police Detachment, and Field Force Police (FFP) intercepted the group before they could establish themselves inside the forest.
“Over 200 individuals were observed moving in large groups with the apparent intention of occupying land within Acholi Bay, located in the gazetted Zoka Government Forest,” Asea said.
Security officers recovered machetes , hoes, and other tools believed to be intended for clearing vegetation. Police noted that several of the suspects claimed they were reclaiming ancestral land, a narrative now under investigation.
Out of the more than 60 suspects detained, 10 have been transferred to Adjumani Central Police Station (CPS) for further interrogation. The remaining 50-plus are being held at Maji 2 Police Station as authorities conduct environmental impact assessments and profile the offenders. Some suspects fled during the operation, and police say they are still being pursued.
Security also confiscated over 40 mobile phones, viewed as possible tools used to coordinate the illegal entry, along with 50 machetes and 10 hoes.
The case has been entered at CPS Adjumani under reference SD 42/22/11/2025.
The incident adds to rising concerns over Uganda’s shrinking forest cover, with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) estimating deforestation at nearly 90,000 hectares annually. Zoka Forest, managed by the National Forestry Authority (NFA), is one of the country’s most threatened Central Forest Reserves, long targeted by illegal loggers, charcoal producers, and settlers.
Uganda’s National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003 (as amended), strictly prohibits unauthorized entry and activities in gazetted forest reserves.
Key provisions include:
Section 37(1): Illegal entry into a forest reserve without a permit is punishable by fines of up to UGX 4 million or imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
Section 38: Bans clearance of vegetation, grazing, construction, and related activities that degrade protected forests.
Recent NFA audits indicate that more than 450 illegal land titles have been cancelled in forest reserves as part of wider conservation enforcement.
The latest operation, security officials say, reinforces government’s resolve to protect the country’s remaining natural forests before degradation becomes irreversible.