Kenneth Opoka the Local Chairperson for Lulai Village says that hundreds of farmers in his area have resorted to small scale farming majorly around their homesteads for fears that they may be attacked while cultivating in distant places.
On Wednesday, a delegation from the Ugandan side led by the Mayor Koboko Municipality Wilson Sanya and the Regional Police Commander Aswa Steven Kaija received the bodies at Elegu Border point in Amuru District at 6:30 pm.
The seven are accused of marrying off a sixteen-year-old girl who is a primary six pupil of Oloyotong Primary School to thirty-three-year-old Charles Ojok on Friday evening from Oloyotong Village in Amuru Sub County Amuru district.
According to information obtained by URN, Ojok and his relatives paid dowry and an unspecified amount of money to the teenager’s family in exchange for her hand in marriage. The family of the girl reportedly accepted the request on Friday evening and handed over the girl to Ojok for marriage in accordance with the Acholi culture.
Those arrested include thirty-three year-old Charles Ojok who is the bridegroom and his fifteen-year-old bride who is a primary six pupil at Oloyotong Primary School in Amuru district. The bride cannot be named because she is a minor.
The village had 12 boreholes of which 8 broke down last year forcing the 3,628 households to share clean water from the 4 remaining functional boreholes or fetch water from streams.
Peter Odok, the officer in charge of Okidi Health Center II in Atiak Sub County wonders why the government is rushing to vaccinate Ugandans when there is no clear information about the effectiveness of the vaccines. He cites other countries that recently suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines due to the serious side-effects on recipients of the vaccine. Odok says they are very skeptical and demands for more knowledge and assurance before he can take his vaccination.
Before the closure of schools, the district had registered a total of 3,189 primary six pupils. However following the resumption of lessons only 1,810 pupils have reported to the school.
Police has attributed most of the cases to domestic violence and land disputes. By 3rd of March this year, Kitgum had recorded 9 cases followed by Agago district with 7, and Amuru 4. Other district recorded less murders with Gulu district at 3, Gulu City and Nwoya recording 2 each while Omoro and Pader districts recorded one cases each.
Bosco Ocira, the LC I Chairperson Otici Village who also doubles as the Health Center Management Committee Chairperson, says the facility is currently operating partially due to the absence of many health workers.
A recent murder case was reported to police on Sunday in Agago where an eighteen-year-old girl identified as Collins Acayo, a Senior two student of Adilang Secondary School in Agago, was discovered dead in the bush with a slit throat. Police report indicates that the deceased was allegedly murdered during a revenge attack in an interfamily feud.
The arrest of the suspects brings to four, the number of people arrested in connection to the murder. The others are Richard Okello and Johnson Oryema who were arrested last week and remanded by the court on murder charges.
Michael Lakony, the Amuru District Chairman told URN in an interview that upon signing the MOU with the Ministry of Trade, a team of Engineers was dispatched to Elegu to carry out a feasibility study to pave way for the constructions but to date, nothing has been done.
Apollo Okello, the Amuru District Education and Health Secretary, says the minors were sleeping in a makeshift grass-thatched structure while their parents were away in the neighbourhood. He says the family that had just settled in the area was in the process of building a decent house.
Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Aswa region Police Spokesperson says the two suspects who also relatives to the deceased beat him to death for reporting them to the Police following a land dispute in 2019.
Joseph Tuku Peke, the Ogali Village Chairperson in Pamuca Parish Amuru Sub County disclosed to URN that his office registers at least seven cases of domestic violence weekly. Tuku Peke explained that this is opposed to previously when crops were still in the garden where he would register a single case of domestic violence in a month.
Last week dozens of patients and their attendants abandoned the hospital after one patient died and was left on his death bed for over three days causing fear and panic among the people.
The Health Center was closed three years ago following a dispute between the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and residents over ownership of the land hosting the health Centre.
Opoka’s brother, who only identified himself as Emmanuel told URN that some people called his brother shortly after parking an ambulance registration number UBA 75 U belonging to Gilbert Olanya in his compound.
Wilson Acuma, a member of the local council executives also told URN that they have submitted a fresh list of the over 5000 residents to the district health department through their village health teams.
