Dokolo man accused of murder set free after four-year remand
Ogule, a resident of Agwata Town Council in Dokolo district, had been charged alongside four others in connection with the gruesome killing of businesswoman Mildred Middy Amek in July 2021.
Andrew Opio Ogule posing for photo with his lawyers, Betty Alum and Winny inside court room after he was set free. (Photo by Hudson Apunyo)
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LIRA – After spending four years on remand for a murder that prosecution failed to pin him to, Andrew Opio Ogule, 46, finally walked to freedom when the High Court in Lira city ruled that he had no case to answer.
Ogule, a resident of Agwata Town Council in Dokolo district, had been charged alongside four others in connection with the gruesome killing of businesswoman Mildred Middy Amek in July 2021.
The court, presided over by Lady Justice Sarah Birungi Kalibbala, found that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case linking him to the murder.
Amek, the daughter of Levi Okodi Macpio, a senior presidential advisor and brother of late Supreme Court Justice Ruby Opio Aweri, was reported missing on July 21, 2021. Her body was later discovered buried in a shallow grave, covered with ash, just five metres from her house in Acungapenyi Cell, Kachung Western Ward, Agwata Town Council.
Andrew Opio Ogule poses for a photo before he left the court for his home, after he was set free of murder case. (Photo by Hudson Apunyo)
Police investigations led to the arrest of five suspects: Ogule, Ebong Wasebo (60), Simon Peter Galimaka (74), Dolly Acen (30), and Aron Owiny (26). During a previous criminal session last year, Acen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years, while Owiny pleaded guilty during a plea bargain session and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The deceased’s disappearance had caused alarm among family members after she failed to show up at work and her phone went unanswered. A search led to the grim discovery, her bed soaked in blood and her body buried nearby. A postmortem later revealed multiple injuries caused by both blunt and sharp objects, consistent with a violent attack.
Although key witnesses, including the two convicts, testified against the other accused persons but no witness pinned Ogule to the murder, and the court ruled that there was no evidence to sustain the charge of murder against Ogule.
Ogule’s release brings to an end a long and painful legal ordeal that saw him spend four years in detention without proof of guilt.
The case, involving the remaining accused persons, has been adjourned to the next criminal session of the High Court.