Residents call for cleansing as ‘demons’ attack school

Parents, teachers and pupils of Olya Primary School pray for pupils suspected to be possessed by demons at the school campus on Friday. PHOTO BY MARTIN ODONG

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Attacks. The affected pupils run into the bushes and most of the times feel dizzy during class time.

Amuru.

Residents of Atiak Sub- county in Amuru District have asked cultural leaders to cleanse Olya Primary School where pupils are behaving as if possessed by demons.
Of the 600 pupils at the school, girls are the most affected. The affected pupils run into the bushes and most of the times feel dizzy during class time.
The head teacher, Mr Alex Latim, said several prayer sessions have been held at the school but the situation has not improved.
Mr Latim said the strange behaviour began in May. He expressed concern that the occurrence would negatively impact on the pupils’ performance.
One of the parents, Mr Philip Oceng, said two of his children have remained sick since they got the attack.
Prayers held over the weekend failed as pupils kept on falling and speaking in a strange and incomprehensible way.
The chairperson of the Parents, Teachers Association, Ms Alice Ekanya, said they are seeking the intervention of cultural leaders to carry out rituals at the school.
“We suspect that there might be some people who were killed during the war and they are demanding for decent burials,” Ms Ekanya said.
Late last year, in Kochgoma Sub-county in Nwoya District, several pupils in various schools experienced similar occurrence.
In 2010 Acholi Cultural Institution with support from USAID, carried out decent burials of persons killed during the two decades LRA rebellion.