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The Police in Aswa East region have arrested four Police officers in Pader District over allegations of corruption, aiding the escape of a murder/armed robbery suspect and mismanaging 53 defilement cases.

The four officers arrested are OC CID Alfred Alumansi, AIP Ochora Geoffrey (in-charge records hiding files), Detective Constable Josephine Mukyayaye (for killing defilement and rape cases), Detective Constable Wilberforce Kadhumbula (CID department) and others still at large.

According to Milton Odongo, the Pader Resident District Commissioner, the suspects were arrested on February 17, 2024, by the regional Criminal Investigations Directorate in Aswa East region based in Kitgum.

He says the suspects were arrested and detained on allegations of corruption, mismanagement of 53 files for defilement, rape and aiding the escape of hard-core criminal — Bosco Odong Okidi — suspected of participating in the shooting of Boniface Moro, a businessman in Pader on November 19, 2023, under Case Ref: CRB 630/2023.

Odong says the suspects were arrested after a Police Flying Squad team conducted an operation in Bargoma Village, Ogago Parish, Pajule Sub-County in Pader District on January 22, 2024, and recovered an AK 47 Rifle with 29 ammunitions, as well as arrested Michael Komakech who confessed to stealing two guns in 2015 from Ogom Police Post.

The RDC says during Police interrogation, Komakech mentioned Okot Patrick Sam a Police deserter from Awach Police Station in Gulu, Robert Okeny Ngom Ding, Odong Bosco Okidi, Okot Godfrey and Okot Santos, which led to their subsequent arrests and also led to the recovery of a gun with 30 rounds of live ammunitions.

He says on February 1, 2024, other suspects appeared before Pader Chief Magistrate Noah Norbert Ssajabi, before they were all remanded to Kineni Prison in Pader.

Odongo says surprisingly, the Flying Squad team received information on February 9, 2024, that Bosco Odong Okidi who was remanded in Kineni Prison on February 1, 2024, managed to escape from Pader Chief Magistrate’s Court cells a week after he was remanded.

He says Police’s Flying Squad liaised with the Chief Magistrate with a view of establishing the circumstances under which the suspect whom he remanded on February 1, 2024, was again in his court’s cells on February 9, 2024.

Odongo says Ssajabi told the Flying Squad that after remanding the suspects, their custody is in the hands of Prisons and Police, but when they liaised with the OC Prison, Alex Nantulya, he noted that he had never received the escapee (Bosco Odong Okidi) in prison.

He says the Flying Squad established that the planned escape of Odong was allegedly orchestrated by the OC CID Pader, Alfred Alumansi, who ordered Police Constable, Bob Ojera to transfer the suspect away from the Police cell to the court cell, and that the suspect who was handcuffed, was intentionally left unattended to.

Odongo says the station manager Sergeant Avini also decided to deploy the officer who was guarding the court that day away from the court premises where later on, three handcuffs were found abandoned and the suspect had vanished.

He also says the officer has established that the OC CID ordered the cell guard to pluck off the page containing the name of the said suspect to show that he was not in the Police cell.

Joe Oloya, the regional community liaison officer Aswa East River region confirmed that the Police officers were arrested two days ago and detained at Kitgum Central Police Station.

Oloya says the District Police Commander, DISO and RDC for Pader District have not yet recorded their statements, but once they do, investigations will also commence.