Assessors to guide court in Lira toddler murder trial

LIRA - When four-year-old Elizabeth Akello vanished from her mother’s workplace in Lira in 2021, whispers of ritual sacrifice spread like wildfire, dragging a processing factory in the city's suburbs into public suspicion.

Now, five years later, the High Court is inching toward a decisive moment in a case that stunned the city and tested its restraint.

Court assessors are expected to deliver their opinion in the trial of a man accused of kidnapping and murdering the young girl in a chilling 2021 incident.

On Thursday, April 9, Lady Justice Sarah Birungi Kalibbala summed up the case, guiding the two assessors on how to weigh the evidence before them.

Judge’s caution to assessors

In her directions, Justice Kalibbala emphasised the need for careful and independent evaluation of all evidence, reminding assessors that the accused’s testimony was a complete denial of the prosecution’s case.

She cautioned that:

▪️Evidence from a co-accused must be treated with care

▪️Hearsay evidence should not be relied upon

▪️Any major inconsistencies in prosecution evidence must be resolved in favour of the accused

▪️Circumstantial evidence must point only to guilt, with no other reasonable explanation

Prosecution alleges that Opio lured the child with promises of soda and sweets before handing her over to an accomplice. Two months later, children collecting firewood in Ayago Ward stumbled upon parts of a human skeleton later confirmed through DNA to be Elizabeth’s. (Credit: Hudson Apunyo)

“It is your duty to determine whether the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt,” the judge guided, adding that failure to do so would require an acquittal.

A case that shocked a city

At the centre of the trial is Kenneth Opio, 37, accused of abducting Elizabeth from Lira Timber Yard in East Division on April 8, 2021.

Prosecution alleges that Opio lured the child with promises of soda and sweets before handing her over to an accomplice. Two months later, children collecting firewood in Ayago Ward stumbled upon parts of a human skeleton later confirmed through DNA to be Elizabeth’s. 

The gruesome discovery deepened public outrage, especially after claims emerged linking the crime to ritual sacrifice—fueling anger that nearly spiralled into mob justice targeting owner of a factory in the neighbourhood.

Painful testimony in court

The trial has been marked by emotional and disturbing testimony.

Elizabeth’s mother, Dilish Adero, recounted the moment her daughter disappeared:
“I was working near my sister’s restaurant when Opio came to eat… Minutes later, my niece told me the man had gone away with Elizabeth, promising them soda and sweets,” she told court, fighting back tears.

She described a frantic search through Lira’s streets before raising the alarm, only for the trail to go cold.

Elizabeth Akello

Deceased Elizabeth Akello

Rita Ikel, the deceased’s cousin, identified the accused in court as the man who abducted Elizabeth.

“He told us to call him uncle… I refused to go further, but he held Elizabeth’s hand and told me to go back,” she said. Asked where Elizabeth is now, the child quietly replied: “She is in heaven. He killed her.”

Arrests and prosecution

Initially, four suspects were arrested, but only Opio and his associate, Isaac Okello, were formally charged.

Okello later entered a plea bargain and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Opio, however, denied the charges, leading to the current trial.

The prosecution has presented six witnesses in an effort to link him to the crime, including individuals who placed him at the scene on the day of the disappearance.

Awaiting a critical moment

With assessors set to give their opinion, attention now turns to the final phase of the trial, where the court will determine whether justice has been served in a case that left a city grieving and searching for answers.