A group of about 80 students from Nebbi Town Secondary School attacked Nebbi Police Station on Tuesday in an attempt to rescue their games teacher, who had been detained for preventive arrest.

According to Nebbi Central Police Station, the incident occurred at around 11:45am when students, armed with stones, bricks, and sticks, stormed the station entrance.

Officers attempted to calm the situation, but the students forcibly freed their teacher, prompting police to fire warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd.

Emmanuel Okello, the games teacher at Nebbi Town Secondary School, was arrested following allegations that he attempted to incite students to disrupt the finals of a football tournament.

On March 17, Nebbi Town SS played against Comboni SS and lost, sparking anger among students and their games teacher, who accused officials of poor officiating.

A meeting was held later that night at the district boardroom to resolve the matter, during which the District Inspector of Schools ordered Okello’s detention to prevent potential violence.

Following the attack on the station, police managed to re-arrest Okello and took three students into custody.

The school administration condemned the students’ actions, apologized, and pleaded for the release of both the teacher and students, promising to address the issue internally.

The District Police Commander agreed, on the condition that such incidents would not happen again.

After the situation was brought under control, the tournament finals proceeded, with Mamba SS emerging as the champions after defeating Comboni SS.

Collins Asea, the regional police spokesperson for the West Nile sub-region, confirmed the incident and condemned the students’ actions, stating that attacking a police facility is a serious offense.

He urged school authorities to strengthen discipline and conflict resolution mechanisms to prevent such incidents.

Additionally, he advised students to use peaceful and lawful channels to address grievances rather than resorting to violence, warning that, in the future, such acts could lead to more severe legal consequences.