NAGRC boss Dr.Lagu arrested; blames woes on mafia
The Executive Director of the Entebbe-based National Animal Genetics Resources Centre & Data Bank (NAGRC & DB), Dr. Charles Lagu has been arrested by police, the Nile Post has learnt.
Lagu’s home been surrounded since last night by security personnel before he was later arrested on Saturday afternoon and is currently detained at Mbarara police station.
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Speaking as he was being arrested, the NAGRC boss blamed his woes on mafia that he forced off government land.
“When you do a good job, you become a problem( to some people). We have dealt with encroachers, land grabbers and so many people. They could be behind all this,” Dr.Lagu said as he was being whisked away to police.
When asked to mention names of those behind the woes, the NAGRC boss said investigations will reveal everything.
A big chunk of land belonging to NAGRIC and houses government ranches was either encroached on or grabbed in various parts of the country.
For example, encroachers took over 15 square miles of government land in Ruhengyere, Nshaara and Sanga ranches in Kiruhura District.
Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama, the State for Agriculture in charge of Animal and Veterinary Affairs in February directed that everyone who has encroached on government ranch land vacates it with immediate effect.
“I can’t see a government facility is there, police is there but encroachers are on the land. I will not tolerate that nonsense,”Rwamirama said.
“There is no trespass on government land. You cannot just come to encroach on government land. They (encroachers) must leave the land immediately. Let them go to court to prove the ownership of the land,” Rwamirama said in February.
According to Dr.Lagu after efforts to force encroachers and grabbers off the land started, his woes also took another direction.
The Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga however told journalists on Saturday morning that Lagu is being invested over sale of animals from government ranches.
“We are investigating him over the disposal of 960 heads of cattle from government farms and other corruption related charges which rotate around conspiracy or connivance with some suppliers of seeds which were picked from one ranch and transferred to another ranch in that process, they managed to pay Shs54 million to the purported supplier even when there was zero supply,”Enanga told journalists at the Uganda Media Centre.
