Police officer commits suicide over stolen guns

Police officers lower the casket containing the remains of their colleague, Charles Ocakacon, into the grave on Sunday. Ocakacon committed suicide after losing two guns. PHOTO BY DANIEL CERE

What you need to know:

Events. The deceased was facing charges of negligence of duty after two guns were stolen from his home. He feared he would be jailed for life

Pader.

A police officer in Pader District has allegedly committed suicide after he reportedly failed to recover two guns that were stolen from his house last December.

Charles Ocakacon, who was the officer in charge of Ogom Police Station in Ogom Sub-county, is said to have taken an insecticide mixture which killed him instantly last Friday.

According to reports, thugs broke into his house and stole the guns last year while Ocakacon and his wife were away at a market.

The officer had appeared before court thrice to answer charges of negligence of duty and was scheduled to reappear on May 4.

His wife, Ms Joyce Ocakacon, said her husband had told her that the gun cases were over-burdening him and he did not want to be imprisoned.

“My husband came back from the trading centre when he was drunk and he declined to share with me the bedroom. I had earlier informed him to join me in the farm the following morning but he did not respond when I tried calling him,” she said.

Ms Ocakacon said she thought her husband had refused to respond to her and she eventually informed the neighbours who entered the room and later pronounced him dead.

Before his death, the deceased had earlier alleged that one of the police officers had tipped him that he might be imprisoned for life which could have scared him.

A post-mortem report from Kilak Health Centre III indicated that the deceased took poisonous substances that ended his life.

Ocakacon was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Ora Aluka village, Pader Sub-county, on Sunday.

Police take
The acting district police commander, Mr Romeo Ojara Onek, regretted Ocakacon’s death but acknowledged that he had some queries to answer.
“We worked so hard to recover the missing guns but we could not and it is unfortunate that as the struggle continues our colleague passes on,” Mr Onek said. He said police recently recovered five guns in Atanga Sub-county, but none was among those that were stolen from the deceased’s home.