Kitgum IDPs vote, lynch three over witchcraft (The New Vision)
A mob in Okidi IDP camp in Chua county in Kitgum district lynched three women on Sunday after suspecting them of witchcraft. The ghastly incident occurred after 6:00pm at a primary school in the camp. The villagers voted for the suspected witches in a secret ballot after they were nominated.
The District Police Commander, Charles Oumo, said the villagers claimed the women had led to the death of a boda boda rider on Saturday. The villagers added that as Kenneth Akena rode his bicycle, his body started swelling and the skin peeled off before he collapsed and died, a clear sign of witchcraft.
He said following the death of Akena, the Okidi LC2 chairman, Y.Y. Obonyo and the camp commandant, Justine Okot, convened an emergency meeting on Sunday to identify and vote for the culprits. When the votes were counted, Paska Agal polled 89 votes, followed by Mary Amoo with 21 votes, while Carolyn Angee got nine votes.
Oumo said the mob used stones, sticks and pick axes to kill the women, before setting their bodies on fire. Amoo was reportedly called from Kitgum Hospital, where she was attending to her sick child. She arrived at the meeting when the crowd was beating up her fellow suspects. The Police have arrested Obonyo and other villagers over the murder.
The murders come two weeks after a village court in Karamoja condemned to death three men and hanged one of them, Mariko Lokiru, before the UPDF intervened and rescued the others. The three had been accused of murdering a man who had beaten them in a cards game. The LC2 court of Omorimor village, Kaiku parish, first condemned Lokiru to death and proceeded to hang him. The UPDF rescued the other two suspects before the mob got them.
A mob in Okidi IDP camp in Chua county in Kitgum district lynched three women on Sunday after suspecting them of witchcraft. The ghastly incident occurred after 6:00pm at a primary school in the camp. The villagers voted for the suspected witches in a secret ballot after they were nominated.
The District Police Commander, Charles Oumo, said the villagers claimed the women had led to the death of a boda boda rider on Saturday. The villagers added that as Kenneth Akena rode his bicycle, his body started swelling and the skin peeled off before he collapsed and died, a clear sign of witchcraft.
He said following the death of Akena, the Okidi LC2 chairman, Y.Y. Obonyo and the camp commandant, Justine Okot, convened an emergency meeting on Sunday to identify and vote for the culprits. When the votes were counted, Paska Agal polled 89 votes, followed by Mary Amoo with 21 votes, while Carolyn Angee got nine votes.
Oumo said the mob used stones, sticks and pick axes to kill the women, before setting their bodies on fire. Amoo was reportedly called from Kitgum Hospital, where she was attending to her sick child. She arrived at the meeting when the crowd was beating up her fellow suspects. The Police have arrested Obonyo and other villagers over the murder.
The murders come two weeks after a village court in Karamoja condemned to death three men and hanged one of them, Mariko Lokiru, before the UPDF intervened and rescued the others. The three had been accused of murdering a man who had beaten them in a cards game. The LC2 court of Omorimor village, Kaiku parish, first condemned Lokiru to death and proceeded to hang him. The UPDF rescued the other two suspects before the mob got them.
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