Gunfire rocks Soroti as police seal off church premises

SOROTI.

Heavy shelling of bullets rocked Soroti town in the early morning hours of Sunday as police blocked Christians of Lifeline Ministries church from accessing the church premise for prayers.

It all started as Christians opposed to Pastor Julius Peter Oyet, walked to church, to surprisingly be treated to teargas and live bullets, under the command of the Soroti DPC Geoffrey Kaheebwa.

Andrew Odongo, a church elder told Daily Monitor that the deployment must have been executed late last night by the DPC, he accuses of going against the court orders that allowed them to use the nursery school, as the legal matter before Soroti judge is expedited.

He said 5 Christians of theirs are currently behind bars, after they were arrested by police this morning as they protested why police was barring them from exercising their right to worship, but Mr Michael Odongo, the police spokesperson in the area said that tentatively nine people have been arrested by police but didn’t reveal their identity.

“The church of God was again today defiled; his people were not allowed their right to pray, yet even to that effect, there is a court order to allow us pray in the nursery school section,” Mr Odongo said.

The aggrieved, Odongo identified those arrested as George William Okoit, Joseph Atikiro, Mary Achiro, Moses Odongo, Gilbert Isamat, we are yet to find out the others arrested, since the arrests are still ongoing.

Mr Michael Odongo, the police spokesperson, said he has not fully been given information in regards to today’s deployment and arrests.

Attempts to get an explanation about the deployment, firing of bullets and arrests were repeatedly brushed off by the DPC who said he will only talk to the press when he returns to his office.

The Lifeline Christians under the spiritual leadership of Bishop Tukei broke away from Pastor Julius Peter Oyet, last year, after they accused him for allegedly wanting to grab the church land title, and the church house, which according to Bishop James Israel Tukei was unacceptable because the church land and houses were fully a contribution of Christians and not Pastor Oyet.

Pastor Oyet has since then, lodged a case in Soroti court, against the breakaway faction of Bishop James Isreali Tukei, accusing them of wanting to take church titles under Lifeline Ministries.