The police in Aswa Region and Pader District have put up a serious manhunt for the former Aswa MP Samuel Odonga Otto and a group of vigilantes accused of robbery and assault.
According to the police report, the accused group was armed with pangas and sticks after they were captured on video viciously beating three victims who had gone to buy charcoal in one of the homesteads in Laorogali village, Atanga sub-county, in Pader district on April 30, 2023, at around 3:30 p.m.
Police have identified the three victims as Ssemanda Charles, Wagwana Yusuf, and Takafa Erisata, who had loaded 12 bags of charcoal in their Fuso truck registration number UBA 600B.
“The group assaulted them using sticks and pangas and allegedly robbed cash of 1,097,700/= (one million ninety-seven thousand, seven hundred shillings) only from Ssemanda Charles. They also vandalized the Fuso truck and stole two motor vehicle batteries, a motor vehicle radio, a woofer, a motor vehicle key, and a tarpaulin,” the police report revealed.
SCP Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, said the attackers further damaged the windscreen, fuel tank, and tires of the Fuso truck, and according to him, they have launched a serious manhunt for Odonga Otto and all those who participated in the torture by caning and beating.
“The same group had earlier attacked one Olara Charles Okello, after he was found buying firewood while in his motor vehicle registration number UAP 516D, along Lapul-Atanga road in Atanga sub-county. The attackers robbed their phones and other belongings. They reported the matter at Pajule police station,” police said.
Although the Hon. Odonga Otto and his vigilantes claim they are an advocacy group that is enforcing a ban on commercial trade in the Acholi Sub-region, their level of physical interaction is not only reckless and dangerous but can lead to hate crimes in society, police noted.
“We therefore urge the former lawmaker to avoid taking the law into his hands and misleading other members of the public into acts of lawlessness and impunity. As the Joint Security Agencies, we remain committed to pursuing all incidents of torture and will ensure that all perpetrators responsible are identified and charged in court,” police said.
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