Three arrested over alleged  extortion in Amuru district

28 October 2026, 4:50 am

By Agness Agilo

Three people, including a man posing as a Gulu University staff member, have been arrested in Amuru District for allegedly extorting money from over 100 residents through illegal VHT registration. Police are investigating as authorities warn the public against fraudsters.

Three people have been arrested and detained at Pabo Central Police Station in Amuru District over allegations of extorting money from locals.

The trio is accused of extorting money from community members in Pabo Sub- County by registering them as Village Health Teams – VHTs.

Speaking to Speak FM news desk on Tuesday 27 October 2026, the Speaker of Amuru District Local

Government, Robert Komakech, narrated that he received a phone call on Monday 26 October 2026 from a local in Pabo Sub-county informing him that an alleged organization calling itself Pabo 1 Health Initiative was moving around registering VHTs and charging 20,000 shillings for registration and 25,000 shillings for a T-shirt, with forms undersigned by Dr. Denis Ochaya of Gulu University.

Upon receiving the information, he contacted the mayor of Pabo Town Council, Richard Kamara Pa’ Okumu, since the registration papers had particulars of Pabotown council. Kamara, however, said he was not aware of such a development in the district.

Komakech said upon realizing the individuals conducting the registration were scammers, he alerted the police at Pabo Central Police Station where they were arrested and are currently detained as investigations continue.

He added that by the time of arrest, they had extorted money from over 100 community members.

The Speaker further confirmed that after thorough investigations, it was established that Dr. Denis Ochaya is not a staff of Gulu University. He is among the three currently in police custody at Pabo Central Police Station.

When asked for comment, Richard Kamara Pa’ Okumu, the Mayor of Pabo TownCouncil, acknowledged receiving the said organization – Pabo 1 Health YouthInitiative – some time back when they came to get clearance for their operations in Amuru. He however clarified that the organization had not finished all the legal procedures and had not yet been cleared by the Amuru District authorities; hence they were operating illegally, which led to their arrest.

Police say investigations are ongoing, as leaders caution the public against falling prey to fraudsters masquerading as health officials.