Increase in murder cases worries leaders in Lango

Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Authorities in Lango are worried over the increasing number of murder cases in the sub-region.

Records from North Kyoga police region which covers the entire Lango sub-region show that 92 murder cases were reported between January and May this year. In January alone, police registered 20 murder cases, 19 in February, 17 in March, 20 in April and 16 in May.

The highest contributor to the murder cases is mob action followed by domestic violence and assault. The others are murder by shooting, poisoning, strangulation and use of blunt objects. On average, police registers at least one murder case in a day.

Last week alone, police registered 7 cases. Police have called upon local leaders to help mitigate crime rates in the region. Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson is worried that murder is becoming common in the sub-region despite their efforts to curb the vice.

Okema who explained that the best way of reaching out to the community is through community policing and sensitization, says their entire program has been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the lockdown and ban on social gatherings.

He was however quick to note that local leaders are frustrating their efforts of ensuring that murder suspects are arrested and prosecuted by either concealing details of the suspects or aiding them to disappear.

Okema appealed to all stakeholders especially cultural and religious leaders to take the mantle of preaching against the vice so that peace can prevail. “We need to involve all stakeholders like religious and cultural leaders.

Even the head of the family and clan must get involved especially when it is a domestic violence case before someone dies. The local leaders should help us in identifying the culprits so that the law handles them.” he said.

However, some leaders believe that the vice has been brought about by the lockdown whereas others blame it on moral decay among the people of Lango. Linda Agnes Auma, the Lira District Woman MP attributed the rise in the number of murder cases to domestic violence.

He has advised couples to exercise self-control in the face of violence especially now that they have to live with each other full time.

She told URN that she was meeting some woman leaders in her constituency to forge ways of peaceful coexistence in their families.

However, James Ajal, the Prime Minister of Lango Cultural Foundation attributes the vice to mental instability brought about the lockdown.

Ajal who cited a communication gap between the leaders and the local community said the cultural institution is using its structures to reach out to its people.

Similarly, Cyprian Ocen, the coordinator Justice and Peace Commission under Lira Catholic Diocese explained that the people of Lango have lost hope due to abject poverty, reduction in both education and moral levels.

According to him, the issues of human rights are partly to blame for the current rise in crime rates. Ocen believes that with community sensitization, dialogues and economic empowerment, the situation can change for the better.

According to the 2020 annual crime report published by police, North Kyoga region registered 2,093 cases of assault, which contributed to murder.

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URN