By Our Reporter
ARUA
The story in which police accused two locals in Arua district of attempting to bribe their own at Arua district CPS with shs2m to release a murder suspect has taken an interesting twist.
In the earlier police report released by Josephine Angucia, the North Western police spokesperson and her boss, Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, it was alleged that on Monday 15th April 2024, the territorial police of Arua district have arrested and detained two people for bribing them with two million (2,000,000) shillings in order to kill a murder case.
The arrest, according to the police spokespersons, was made on Sunday 14th April 2024 at around 4:30 pm in the evening at Arua Vurra district CPS, in Vurra Sub County, Arua district.
The arrested suspects were paraded and identified as Ajikia Annet, a Female Adult aged 28 years old Lugbara by tribe and a peasant, a wife to the murder suspect one Onzima Innocent and Nyakuta Brian Male adult aged 22 years old Lugbara by tribe a boda boda rider, all residents of Nyio Village, Nyio parish, Vurra sub County in Arua District.
Police said that on 17th December 2023, a one Arijole Alido was murdered by his brother called Onzima Innocent and other clan members, that his house was demolished and all his properties were burnt by the same people. After killing him, his body was dumped inside his pit latrine, they accused him of being rich as a result of illuminati.
After committing these offences, all the suspects allegedly escaped to hide in DR Congo. This case of murder was registered under Arua Vurra district CPS CRB 239/2023, and malicious damage and Arson were registered on SD reference 13th December 2023.
But when the suspects received information that the former OC CID, Detective ASP Maloba Moses was transferred, and that a new OC CID, Detective ASP Kalinaki Japhar was brought, they decided to come back to their homes from DR Congo. So, when the new OC CID received information about this case file and the suspects being back home from DR Congo, he mobilized personnel to go and arrest the murder suspects.
On Friday 12th April 2024 at around 4:00 pm, one suspect by the names of Onzima Innocent, the leader of the clan who allegedly commanded the clan members to kill the deceased, was arrested and detained at Arua Vurra district Central Police Station at Odumi.
The two PROs reported that on Sunday 14th April 2024, the two suspects of bribery came to the station and entered into the office of the current OC CID Arua district, and handed over two million Uganda shillings (2,000,000/=) to him such that he kills the murder case against their relative Onzima Innocent and set him free. This annoyed the OC CID Detective ASP Kalinaki Japher, who ordered for the arrest and detention of the two suspects.
A case of Bribing a police officer on duty was registered under SD reference 16/14/04/2024. Statements were obtained from the two suspects, as well as from witnesses. The Two million Ugandan shillings (2,000,000/=) was recovered and exhibited.
However, upon their release on Tuesday April 16, 2024, the two suspects said the money in question was demanded by the OC CID Kalinaki Japher himself and that the money was paid to him on Friday April 12, 2024 not on Sunday as being alleged by police.
“The police officers came at about 4:00am on Friday morning to arrest my husband (Onzima Innocent). They took him there and shortly I received a call from them through my husband saying the OC CID (Kalinaki Japher) wants shs2m to have him released. I asked my husband whether he is sure he will be released. He told me that Kalinaki has assured him that he will be released when the money is brought,” Ajikia said.
“At that time, my husband had shs1.5m he had saved in the house and I had my shs500,000 I was using for doing fish business. Desperate as I was, I decided to top my shs500,000 on that of my husband to make it shs2m. Shortly the boda boda man (Nyakuta Brian) who used to transport our child to school arrived. He asked what was happening and I explained to him and after that I told him that police wants shs2m to release my husband, so let him take me to Arua district CPS. We went there on that very Friday at about 11:00am and handed over the money to Kalinaki who promised that he will release my husband the next day, Saturday April 13, 2024,” Ajikia explained.
She, however, said they came back home with the boda boda and later waited for the release of her husband on Saturday in vain.
“On Sunday April 14, 2024, I called Nyakuta (the boda boda man) and told him my husband was not released so let him come and we go back to the CID officer to find out what happened. I prepared some food which I took along to the police. On asking Kalinaki why he didn’t release my husband, he demanded for another shs1m on top of shs2m given. I later got concerned and called my brother who told me to ask back the shs2m. At that moment, Kalinaki started getting annoyed with us. He picked some papers and started writing down our details and within a short time he ordered for our arrest,” Ajikia narrated.
Similarly, Nyakuta wondered why he was arrested and detained arguing that he was just doing his job as a boda boda man to transport his client who handed the money demanded to Kalinaki on Friday thinking that her husband was going to be released the following day as promised.
“If Ajikia did something wrong, Kalinaki would have arrested her on the spot that Friday when she gave him the money but not waiting up to Sunday when she started asking back the shs2m earlier paid. I’m a disabled person as you can see, I was arrested and detained innocently for two days and on top of that, my name has been tarnished by the police for nothing. Now I want any lawyer to come to my rescue so that I can be able to sue these people for all the psychological torture they have caused to me,” Nyakuta said.
The two were released on police bond on Tuesday afternoon after the intervention of Arua district leaders with the help of Eddie Sserunjoji, the RPC West Nile.
