21-year-old man to hang for murder
Apr 08, 2008
FELIX Alwornga, 21, has been sentenced to death for the murder of the former Nebbi district Police commander, Bonney Zziwa, in 2005. State attorney Lino Anzugu said Alwornga led a group of men to Zziwa’s home in Nebbi.
By Frank Mugabi
FELIX Alwornga, 21, has been sentenced to death for the murder of the former Nebbi district Police commander, Bonney Zziwa, in 2005. State attorney Lino Anzugu said Alwornga led a group of men to Zziwa’s home in Nebbi.
They pretended to have lost their way and requested him to find them accommodation at the Central Police Station. While passing through the Boma grounds they stabbed him with a knife.
Zziwa, who had just been transferred to Nebbi, was found dead the next morning about 50 metres from the Police station.
According to a postmortem report from Nebbi Hospital, Zziwa died from severe bleeding caused by two deep cuts in the chest and below his left ear.
Delivering his ruling on Monday, the Arua High Court judge, Augustus Kania, said since Zziwa was seen as an embodiment of law and order, killing him showed disrespect, contempt and disregard of the law.
He added that witnesses identified Alwornga as one of the men who picked Zziwa from his home.
The Police found a blood-stained knife under his bed, a Nokia phone whose receipt showed it was Zziwa’s. They also found Zziwa’s ATM bank and his UTL mobile simcard behind newspapers pasted on the walls in the sitting room.
However, Alwornga said he acted on the orders of other junior Police officers who were not happy with Zziwa’s administration.
But Kania said no evidence was adduced to substantiate this claim.
“The accused said he only witnessed the killing and his role was to lure the officer to the dark spot where the disgruntled officers killed him,†Kania said.
He added that the accused was a fugitive since he had escaped twice from Arua Prison while on remand.
He advised the accused to appeal within 14 days if he wished to.
FELIX Alwornga, 21, has been sentenced to death for the murder of the former Nebbi district Police commander, Bonney Zziwa, in 2005. State attorney Lino Anzugu said Alwornga led a group of men to Zziwa’s home in Nebbi.
They pretended to have lost their way and requested him to find them accommodation at the Central Police Station. While passing through the Boma grounds they stabbed him with a knife.
Zziwa, who had just been transferred to Nebbi, was found dead the next morning about 50 metres from the Police station.
According to a postmortem report from Nebbi Hospital, Zziwa died from severe bleeding caused by two deep cuts in the chest and below his left ear.
Delivering his ruling on Monday, the Arua High Court judge, Augustus Kania, said since Zziwa was seen as an embodiment of law and order, killing him showed disrespect, contempt and disregard of the law.
He added that witnesses identified Alwornga as one of the men who picked Zziwa from his home.
The Police found a blood-stained knife under his bed, a Nokia phone whose receipt showed it was Zziwa’s. They also found Zziwa’s ATM bank and his UTL mobile simcard behind newspapers pasted on the walls in the sitting room.
However, Alwornga said he acted on the orders of other junior Police officers who were not happy with Zziwa’s administration.
But Kania said no evidence was adduced to substantiate this claim.
“The accused said he only witnessed the killing and his role was to lure the officer to the dark spot where the disgruntled officers killed him,†Kania said.
He added that the accused was a fugitive since he had escaped twice from Arua Prison while on remand.
He advised the accused to appeal within 14 days if he wished to.