Man killed, hanged on tree
What you need to know:
- The police have over this year been grappled with a rise in violent crime with criminals using objects to hit their victims. The police have been attributing it to challenges of the reopening of the economy after two years of movement restrictions and curfew as well as the tough economic conditions .
Police in Apac District are hunting for people who killed a 37-year-old man and hang his remains on a tree in his compound.
The body of Denis Onyinge, which had multiple injuries, was found hanging on a tree in Aboi “A” Village, Chegere Sub-county, on Christmas Eve.
Mr Dickson Oluma, the chairperson of Acandek-Pe Village from where Onyinge was reportedly beaten, said the killers hang him on a tree to disguise it as a suicide case.
“His body had so many injuries. So, we had to call police and later we discovered the foot marks of some people because we asked people not to get close to the scene,” he said.
Police have now arrested a 23-year-old resident of the neighbouring Acandek-Pee Village as part of their investigations.
Mr Dickson Ojok, the defence secretary of Aboi “A” Village, said the deceased was assaulted at a drinking joint in a neighbouring village.
“On Friday, he went to Acandek- Pee where he had gone to drink but I am told he fought with some people at around 5pm. So, it’s like when he returned to his house, these people followed him and killed him at his home. This man separated with his wife and is living alone in the house,” he said in a telephone interview last Saturday.
The District Police Commander, Mr David Wills Ndaula, urged the residents to volunteer any information that could lead to the rest of the suspects.
“That man was killed and put on a rope so that we believe that he committed suicide,” Mr Ndaula said.
The body was taken to Apac Hospital Mortuary for a post-mortem before being handed over to relatives for burial.
A total of 84 people were killed in Lango Sub-region in the last six months leading up to August, statistics from North Kyoga Regional Police headquarters indicate.
Rev Christopher Ameny, the vicar of Apac Urban Archdeaconry, said mob action is common in Lango due to a wrong perspective of police. “When a suspected thief is arrested and released on bond after spending two or more days in police custody, the owner of the property gets angry and resorts to mobilising the community to kill that suspect,” he said.
Lira Diocese Bishop Sanctus Lino Wanok, blames the killings on drug abuse and irresponsible consumption of alcohol.
