Police in Gulu have rereleased Kilak South County Member of Parliament Hon Gilbert Olanya, after detaining him for hours.
Hon Olanya was arrested this Tuesday morning by police operatives, both uniformed and un-uniformed, and whisked off to an unknown location.
It later emerged that he was charged by Police in Gulu for inciting violence. He was picked up during an altercation over a truck which was loaded with charcoal.
The MP was over the Easter Weekend engaged in running battles with operators of charcoal businesses in Amuru.
Together with a few of his supporters, Olanya invaded charcoal-burning fields and used fuel to set on fire tons of ready charcoal and chopped logs.
The MP was incensed that charcoal burning continued to ruin the environment in the Acholi sub region despite a recent directive from government to end it.
“We have been telling everyone that you must not risk your lorry, you must not risk your money…How can the president of Uganda, through his minister Hon Beatrice Anywar issue a ban on commercial charcoal burning and you want to continue coming here to destroy our environment? We shall not allow this,” he said
“We have decided that we are going to take you on. As I speak, we have got copies of receipts written by some sub county leaders, those ones we are taking them to court”