Witch doctor lynched after youth dies during ritual over stolen cows
The bodies of both Oming and Ecom were conveyed to the Lira Regional Referral Hospital mortuary pending postmortem examinations.
Police recovered exhibits from the scene and recorded statements from witnesses as investigations continue. No arrests had been made by press time.
KOLE - A 50-year-old witchdoctor who ran into a grass-thatched house to escape an angry mob was smoked out of her hiding place after residents set ablaze the hut in which she was hiding, forcing her to storm out.
The angry residents later lynched Mary Oming, accusing her of causing the death of a young man during a ritual she reportedly performed with the intention of tracing stolen cattle.
The dramatic incident is now being investigated under Kole Central Police Station CRB 268/2026, which occurred on June 13, 2026, in Otwonoipingi Cell, Western Ward B, Akalo Town Council in Kole District.
The witch doctor (Oming) allegedly caused the death of Ivan Ecom, 22, a farmer and resident of Otwonoipingi Cell, who reportedly collapsed and died during the ritual performance.
Investigators say two young men, Ecom and Selestino Ogoro, were allegedly affected during the ritual, and they began behaving unusually. Witnesses told police that the two young men started eating grass as villagers watched in disbelief.
Later on, Ecom collapsed and died, but the second youth, Ogoro, a resident of the same village, survived.
Police said Ayo did not report the theft to authorities. Instead, she sought the services of Oming, a traditional healer from Dibadi Cell in Akalo Town Council.
What started as a traditional exercise soon descended into tragedy on Saturday afternoon.
Police officers who examined Ecom’s body at the scene reported finding no visible physical injuries, leaving investigators to await a postmortem examination to establish the exact cause of death.
Police said the crowd turned violent and began chasing Oming. On realising that she was in danger, the traditional healer reportedly fled and locked herself inside a nearby grass-thatched house in a desperate attempt to save her life.
But the mob was not deterred. According to investigators, the attackers surrounded the hut and set it on fire.
As flames consumed the hut, Oming was forced to flee, and she was arrested by the waiting mob outside.
The crowd allegedly descended on her, beating her with sticks and other blunt objects until she collapsed.
She later died from injuries sustained during the assault. Her body also reportedly had burns.
When detectives arrived, they found Oming’s body lying between two burnt grass-thatched houses.
Police said a motorcycle, registration number UFH 274E, which had transported the witch doctor to the scene, was also torched during the attack.
A team comprising regional Criminal Investigations Directorate officers, scene-of-crime experts and detectives from Kole District later visited and documented the scene.
The bodies of both Oming and Ecom were conveyed to the Lira Regional Referral Hospital mortuary pending postmortem examinations.
Police recovered exhibits from the scene and recorded statements from witnesses as investigations continue. No arrests had been made by press time.