Witchdoctors held over ritual murder
Feb 09, 2009
THE beheaded body of woman abducted from Bweyogerere was yesterday retrieved from a swamp in Bwaise, a Kampala city suburb.<br>
By Eddie Ssejjoba
THE beheaded body of woman abducted from Bweyogerere was yesterday retrieved from a swamp in Bwaise, a Kampala city suburb.
The Police arrested 10 witchdoctors suspected to have been involved in the ritual sacrifice during a daylong operation. Scores of shrines were destroyed and fetishes set ablaze.
The decomposing body was retrieved at about 6:00pm from a swamp in Kisenyi zone, where the prime suspect, Musa Boogere, 37, led the Police and LC officials.
The body, with only knickers on, was wrapped in a white sack without the head.
The deceased was of light complexion, the nails on the feet had red vanish and she looked like a working woman.
According to the Police, the killers first tied her ‘kandooya<.i>’ style (hands at the back) before beheading her.
The Police spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba, said a resident tipped them off after discovering two legs in a pit latrine.
Two weeks before, the Police had retrieved a woman’s head from a pit latrine in the same area. The parts were taken to the City Mortuary.
The Police arrested Boogere who has a shrine in the same zone, where the parts were found.
Boogere, who was speaking in a weak voice, repeatedly asked for food. He said one of his accomplices called Isma Black and others abducted the woman from Bweyogerere and took her to him for sacrifice to cleanse them in order to get jobs.
Boogere said he was a resident of Kalerwe but hails from Bulange in Busembatya, Busoga. The Police had to seal off the area to prevent a mob from lynching the suspect.
The Police arrested several witchdoctors; some of whom were found attending to their clients, destroyed their items and set their shrines on fire.
Those arrested included Nalongo Betty Babirye, in whose shrine several suspicious items, including dry meat and other fetishes, were found. Others arrested were Margaret Nansamba Nalongo, Julius Lubowa, David Lubega, Sam Kibuuka and Innocent Sseremba. All were being held at Kawempe Police Station.
Boogere was last year arrested by the Police from Wandegeya with a beheaded dog, which the Police suspected he wanted to sell as goat meat. On his arrest, he said the dog was for a ritual sacrifice.
Late last year, fear gripped the country following several ritual murders. The most prominent was the murder of a boy in Masaka. A city tycoon, Godfrey Kato Kajubi, a witchdoctor and his wife are on trial in Masaka over the murder.
Following the increase in the ritual murders, the Police have instituted a special unit to handle the crime.
THE beheaded body of woman abducted from Bweyogerere was yesterday retrieved from a swamp in Bwaise, a Kampala city suburb.
The Police arrested 10 witchdoctors suspected to have been involved in the ritual sacrifice during a daylong operation. Scores of shrines were destroyed and fetishes set ablaze.
The decomposing body was retrieved at about 6:00pm from a swamp in Kisenyi zone, where the prime suspect, Musa Boogere, 37, led the Police and LC officials.
The body, with only knickers on, was wrapped in a white sack without the head.
The deceased was of light complexion, the nails on the feet had red vanish and she looked like a working woman.
According to the Police, the killers first tied her ‘kandooya<.i>’ style (hands at the back) before beheading her.
The Police spokesperson, Judith Nabakooba, said a resident tipped them off after discovering two legs in a pit latrine.
Two weeks before, the Police had retrieved a woman’s head from a pit latrine in the same area. The parts were taken to the City Mortuary.
The Police arrested Boogere who has a shrine in the same zone, where the parts were found.
Boogere, who was speaking in a weak voice, repeatedly asked for food. He said one of his accomplices called Isma Black and others abducted the woman from Bweyogerere and took her to him for sacrifice to cleanse them in order to get jobs.
Boogere said he was a resident of Kalerwe but hails from Bulange in Busembatya, Busoga. The Police had to seal off the area to prevent a mob from lynching the suspect.
The Police arrested several witchdoctors; some of whom were found attending to their clients, destroyed their items and set their shrines on fire.
Those arrested included Nalongo Betty Babirye, in whose shrine several suspicious items, including dry meat and other fetishes, were found. Others arrested were Margaret Nansamba Nalongo, Julius Lubowa, David Lubega, Sam Kibuuka and Innocent Sseremba. All were being held at Kawempe Police Station.
Boogere was last year arrested by the Police from Wandegeya with a beheaded dog, which the Police suspected he wanted to sell as goat meat. On his arrest, he said the dog was for a ritual sacrifice.
Late last year, fear gripped the country following several ritual murders. The most prominent was the murder of a boy in Masaka. A city tycoon, Godfrey Kato Kajubi, a witchdoctor and his wife are on trial in Masaka over the murder.
Following the increase in the ritual murders, the Police have instituted a special unit to handle the crime.