Trial, execution of priest killers

Mar 27, 2002

THE two UPDF soldiers executed by firing squad on Monday only stole a cluster of bananas (bogoya) from their victim’s vehicle after failing to get money.

By Nathan Etengu in KotidoTHE two UPDF soldiers executed by firing squad on Monday only stole a cluster of bananas (bogoya) from their victim’s vehicle after failing to get money.Cpl. James Omedio and Pte. Abdalla Mohammed attached to the “B” company of UPDF’s 67th Battalion, were found guilty of the death of the Rev. Fr. Michael O’Toole Declan, an Irish Catholic priest, and two of his colleagues. The soldiers were executed near Kotido town at around 6.06pm.A polythene bag used by the convicts to carry the bananas was later recovered near the UPDF detach at Kalosarich, about three kilometres from the scene of the murder.The trial was conducted at Kalosarich by an eight-man Field Court Martial (FCM) chaired by the Field Commander and Commanding Officer of the UPDF 3rd Division, Col Sula Semakula. It lasted two hours and 36 minutes.The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.The polythene bag was exhibited together with the guns, gumboots, pouches and bullets Mohammed stole from the residence of the detach commander, Sgt. Sam Rubarekyera.The FCM was established in December at the time of launching the Karimojong disarmament programme.The advocate, Capt. Kagoro Asingura, said the minimum punishment for anyone found guilty by the FCM is death by firing squad.Kotido town residents, including pupils from a neighbouring army primary school, watched silently as bullets rained on the convicts who were firmly tied to tree trunks.An officer blew a whistle to mark the beginning of the firing. The soldiers then ran and took position 10 metres away from their target and began shooting.A Captain later shot Mohammed in the head at close range after a medical officer established that his heart was still beating.O’Toole who turned 32 on March 17, postponed his birthday celebrations to March 24. He did not live to see the day. Among those invited for the celebrations, was the Commanding Officer of the UPDF 405 Brigade, Lt. Col. Patrick Kiyingi.“If it was not for this gruesome murder, we would have been at Panyangara Parish Church celebrating O’Toole birthday,” Kiyingi said.He said the priest had cultivated friendship with the army and was influential in tracking down cattle raiders.Semakula said O’Toole early this year assisted James Kazini, the Acting Army Commander, in a screening exercise of cattle raided by the Jie Karimojong from the Bokora.The principle witness in the prosecution witnessed the murder of O’Toole and his workers.He said he arrived at the scene when Mohammed was talking to the slain priest.“Since they (soldiers) had laid tree trunks across the road, we thought it was a normal roadblock,” said the witness.He said he instructed his driver to park beside the priest’s vehicle thinking that the soldiers would also interrogate him as is common at roadblocks.“My driver told me the gun chamber was open, but I brushed him off saying it could be the nature of the operations that made the soldiers keep the chambers open,” said the witness.He said after waiting for about five minutes, they noticed that the soldiers’ mood had changed.“He then lifted his gun and shot at the priest at close range before turning the gun on the driver,” the nurse said.The nurse said he immediately ordered his driver to drive off as the soldier turned his gun on the third occupant in the priest’s vehicle.The witness said the second soldier who had taken cover opened fire, hitting his driver in the back.“I noticed that the driver was bleeding but I could not inform him since he was driving at a very high speed,” the witness said.He said they drove up to the detachment from where they reported the matter.Another principle witness, Sgt. Sam Rubarekyera, said he was the detachment commander at the time the incident took place.He said when he received the information, he summoned all the soldiers in his unit, but Omedio and Mohammed were absent.“I proceeded to the scene of the incident with seven soldiers and when I returned, I inquired about Omedio, but he was no where to be seen.Omedio first claimed that he was in his hut. He claimed that a soldier sent to call him found him in the house. However, the soldier, Pte. Kamadi Abdalla, denied seeing Omedio.Omedio was found to have used cooking oil to try to clean his gun while Mohammed said he had fired three bullets while hunting for wild game near the detachment.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});