DPP clears Oromo Agwatawil clan leader in long-running murder case

OYAM - The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has closed a murder case against David Opio Apap, the Awitong (clan leader) of the Oromo Agwatawil clan, bringing to an end a legal saga that stemmed from the 2022 killing of a clan member in Oyam district.

North Kyoga Police region spokesperson Patrick Jimmy Okema confirmed the development, stating that the regional DPP had reviewed the file and ordered its closure. 

“File closed by the RDPP,” Okema said in a brief message.

Background to the case

The case relates to the death of Denis Ayo, a member of the Oromo Agwatawil clan, who was killed on September 16, 2022, in Ngai sub-county in Oyam, following allegations that he had stolen a bottle of beer.

Nearly two years later, on July 2, 2024, North Kyoga Regional Criminal Investigations Officer Yona Kule, wrote to Opio inviting him to appear for “fact-finding and consultations” in connection with Oyam CRB 378/2022.

The letter asked him to report to the CID offices at Erute and to come with 15 other individuals to assist with investigations.

However, when Opio reported on July 8, 2024, accompanied by three clan officials, he was instead detained at Lira City Central Police Station.

Those held alongside him were Leo Ojera (clan chief), Tony Okello, and Jimmy Okello, an LC1 defence secretary. The four spent 10 days in custody before being released on Police bond on July 18, 2024.

Allegations and denials

Police initially alleged that Opio had ordered the killing of Denis Ayo. Okema had earlier said the arrest followed claims that the clan leader sanctioned the act.

Opio consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that he was not present when the killing occurred and only learned of the incident a day later while in Lira city, where he lives.

He further accused a senior Police officer at the rank of Assistant Commissioner, whom he said hails from his home area in Ngai sub-county, of orchestrating his arrest. 

According to Opio, the officer was involved in a land dispute with members of his clan, a matter he had been pursuing with the Police headquarters at the time he was implicated in the murder case.

“I live in Lira city and was informed of the murder a day later,” Opio said during his detention.

His wife, Betty Opio, also described the case as a fabrication linked to the land conflict. 
“He is being accused of planning a murder, yet he was not at the scene and only learned about it later,” she said.

Rights concerns and investigations

During the detentions, a senior officer from the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), who declined to be named, criticised what he described as blatant violations of suspects’ rights by some senior officers in the North Kyoga Police region.

He said UHRC intervention contributed to the suspects’ release on bond.

The investigations also briefly drew in Rose Alany, a former officer in charge of Ngai Police post, who was detained as inquiries expanded.

DPP decision

Following a review of the file, the DPP closed the case against Opio and lifted his Police bond on November 28, 2025. In a message circulated after the decision, Opio welcomed the outcome, describing it as vindication after months of uncertainty, and noted that individuals who had implicated him were directed to record statements as suspects.

Opio Apap said those suspects have not yet been summoned because the senior police commander is protecting them.

The closure of the file brings to a close a case that had stirred controversy in Oyam and Lira, highlighting tensions around delayed investigations, traditional leadership disputes, and allegations of abuse of authority in the region.