School Closed in Omoro After Death of Two Girls in Dormitory

Security personnel have temporarily closed the operation of Lux Primary and Secondary school in Labora Central village, Labora Sub-county in Omoro District following the gruesome murder of two girls from the school dormitory.

The minors were reportedly murdered by unknown assailants who later set their bodies on fire between the night of April 17 and the wee morning of April 18.

Local authorities identified the deceased as 16-year-old Gladys Gune, who was in Senior Two (S.2) and 14-year-old Gloria Anzoa, a Primary Three (P.3) pupil, all residents of Adjumani district.

Rev. Vincent Oceng Ocen confirmed to Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Tuesday that the school was closed on Friday to pave the way for a deeper investigation into the tragic incident.

According to Rev Oceng, the school dormitory was being illegally used without due inspection by the district education department to ascertain whether it was safe for learners’ accommodation.

He noted, preliminary information indicates that the assailants broke into the girl’s dormitory, killed the girl before setting the dormitory on fire.

Uganda Radio Network established from reliable sources that the deceased were the only female pupils at the boarding section who remained at the school for the Easter holiday break. Five boys who were also accommodated at the boys’ boarding section had reportedly returned to their respective homes for the Easter holidays. In total, seven learners were being accommodated in the boarding at the school.

David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa West Public Relations Officer, however, noted that the Police has in its custody at Omoro Central Police Station a key suspect in the crime who has since confessed.

Mudong said Police detectives have gone back to reconstruct the crime scene following the arrest of the prime suspect. Suspects so far apprehended, according to reliable information Uganda Radio Network obtained, include the acting school director, the school watchman and the chairperson of a boda boda riders association in Labora Trading Centre.

The incident has since sparked debate among members of the community in the district on the safety of learners in boarding schools in Omoro district.

Francis Ojok, the Labora Sub-County Chairperson, told Uganda Radio Network that they had no information about the school running a boarding section until the tragic incident happened last week. 

According to him, the school had been registered with the local authorities and the district education department as a private day school, adding that, worst of all, on the fateful night, the school matron wasn’t around while there was only one security guard. 

"The guard has been arrested, but the matron hasn't been answering her phone calls and remains at large," said Ojok.

How the incident happened According to Ojok, the assailants are suspected to have made their way through the first chain-link fence at the Secondary section of the school where a night watchman was stationed. He said they later jumped over the perimeter wall into the Primary section, where the two minors were sleeping alone.  

The assailants reportedly broke through the first door into the sitting room, and later used a heavy aggregate stone to smash through the wall, leaving a gaping hole into the girls' sleeping room.

Ojok said that after accessing their dormitory, the assailants gruesomely killed the girls and set their mattresses and other belongings on fire, burning them beyond recognition.

“The postmortem indicates the girls were beaten on their heads and their necks broken,” said Ojok. The police is however yet to release a detailed report on the incident. 

By press time, the district security committee of Omoro district had convened a security meeting on the matter. 

Uganda Radio Network also understands that the school, which operated a nursery, primary and secondary sections, was in its second year of operation with currently 88 learners. In the nursery section, there are 30 pupils, while 15 are in Primary (P.1 to P.4) and 43 in secondary level from Senior one to Senior three (S. 1-S. 3).