MP Odonga Otto arrested in Gulu

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |The Aruu County Member of Parliament Samuel Odonga Otto has been arrested in Gulu City.

He was arrested on Tuesday at around 9 am from Bomah Hotel in Gulu City by Francis Olugu, the Deputy Director for Criminal Investigations. Odonga was at the gym at the time of his arrest.

Olugu, says the legislator has been arrested following the previous charges on him which include assault and damage at Pader in 2018, illegal possession of firearms and assault of a journalist in Gulu in 2019 during the FUFA Drum match at Pece Stadium, among others.

Olugu added that Odonga’s arrest is to also give time for the police to investigate a case where he is accusing police f poisoning him while in custody at Pader Police Post early this year. 

He revealed that Odonga shall be taken to CID headquarters in Kampala and that upon completion of the investigation, he shall be arraigned in court in Pader.

In a hot exchange of words with the police at the Aswa River Region Police Headquarters in Gulu shortly after his arrest while in khaki short, white T-shirt and a pair of sneakers, Odonga described the arrest and charges as a witch-hunt on him by Gen, Paul Lokech, the Deputy Inspector General of Police.

According to Odonga, police arrested him to stop him from filing an election petition to court against Christopher Komakech, the MP-elect for Aruu County, who he alleges is a close friend to Paul Lokech.

Upon gathering all the case files for Odonga, he was whisked away to Kampala on a white Toyota Hilux registration number UP 7484.

Odonga’s elder brother Tadeo Oloya Otto was also arrested on orders of Olugu for allegedly obstructing police from performing its duty.

Oloya had arrived at Aswa Police Headquarters in a Super Custom registration number UBE 616R in the company of two other family members before his arrest while taking pictures of Odonga. He has been detained at Gulu Central Police Station.

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