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SFC soldier tortures his nephew to death
Maj Stephen Tumwesigye, the UPDF 5th Infantry Division spokesperson.
What you need to know:
- He allegedly tied his nephew, Luke Obia, 25, to a tree and beat him to death at the soldier's residence in Amolatar Town Council on Sunday night, July 16. The deceased was also a resident of the same area.
Security agencies are hunting a soldier working with the elite Special Forces Command (SFC), who allegedly tortured his nephew to death in Amolatar District following a domestic brawl.
The suspect, [names withheld], allegedly tied Luke Obia, 25, to a tree and beat him to death at the soldier’s residence at Inomo Cell, Inomo Ward in Amolatar Town Council on Sunday night.
The deceased was also a resident of the same area.
Trouble started when the deceased reportedly picked up a quarrel with one of his uncles at a drinking joint on the outskirts of Amolatar Town on the fateful day.
Ms Milden Acen, a neighbour, said when the soldier – who had gone to buy drugs at the nearby clinic – found his relatives quarrelling, he attempted to intervene, resulting in a fistfight.
She said at some point, Obia fell down after the soldier dealt him a heavy blow.
“Obia decided to go back home. After reaching home, he turned his anger to his two female children and started beating them, claiming they had failed to bring the goats home,” the neighbour said.
“After receiving information that Obia was beating the innocent children, the soldier then sent a group of energetic youth to go and bring the father of two so that he could be subjected to some kind of disciplinary measures. He was brought, tied to a tree and beaten into a coma.
“When his (deceased’s) uncle Moses Oruk – the Inomo clan chief – returned, Obia was no more,” Ms Acen added.
The late Obia left behind a woman and two children.
Efforts to get a comment from the chairman of Inomo Cell, Mr Okwel Abili, were unsuccessful by press time.
However, a family source, who preferred anonymity, said there were plans to forgive the soldier since both the offender and the offended are relatives.
“Inomo clan chief of Amolatar District held a meeting with other clan leaders on Monday and a suggestion was mooted to forgive since it was an accident,” the source said.
Mr Francis Odoki Okello, the area Resident District Commissioner (RDC), who is also the head of Amolatar District security committee, confirmed the incident. “I was notified about the incident that happened where there had been a quarrel in a homestead and this particular soldier started beating his clan brother, which eventually led to his death,” the RDC told this publication on the phone yesterday.
He said after allegedly committing the said crime, the soldier fled to Nakasongola Barracks where he is attached.
“We are following up the issue. So far, five people, including the father of the deceased, are already in custody [at Amolatar Central Police Station] . And we are following up on this particular soldier who led to the death of Obia,” Mr Odoki Okello said.
The RDC added that the security had requested the soldier’s father to trace his son’s whereabouts and compel him to report to the police.
“So, the police CID team is doing their investigations and I am yet to have a detailed report from the CID in that regard,” he added.
Maj Stephen Tumwesigye, the UPDF 5th Infantry Division spokesperson, said investigations into the incident and search for the suspect have commenced.
“If found to be true, the soldier will be arrested and arraigned before courts of law as this contravenes the UPDF code of conduct and our constitutional mandate of protecting Ugandans with their property,” he added.
“We are doing everything possible to have him arrested so that we can have his side of the story. There are already credible leads on where the said soldier is heading or hiding.”
