Locals stage demo accusing Amolatar OC Station of defiling child

Protestors on Monday marched in Amolatar Town over alleged defilement of a 14-year-old girl and failure by the authorities to handle the matter.

More than 20 angry residents who marched from Amolatar Town to Amolatar Central Police Station to report the matter on Monday said the girl was allegedly defiled by the officer in-charge of the station.

The suspect is at the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

The locals also pointed accusing fingers at the police leadership for failing to follow up on the matter after the minor was reportedly rescued by some members of the community who saw her entering the house where the suspected police officer was. 

The girl was allegedly abused at the home of the officer’s friend at around 8pm.

The victim said the officer’s friend intercepted her and her elder sister as they were returning from buying food at about 7:30pm and told her that a certain police officer wanted to meet her.

“I had never met him before,” the girl, who is a Primary Five pupil of Kaberamaido Primary School, said.

At this point, the alleged emissary carried the victim and her sister on a motorbike and delivered them to the said police officer. The accused officer was allegedly inside his friend’s house when the two girls arrived.

“On arrival, Afande (the accused) ordered my elder sister to leave immediately. I then remained with him alone in the house and he started asking me for sex but I declined. Then he started threatening to hurt me if I refused to sleep with him,” the victim said.

She added: “He handed me a condom but I tossed nit away. Afande then picked the condom, opened and wore it before he forced himself on me. I was too scared to make an alarm because he had threatened to harm me if I did.”

But as the suspect reportedly went outside to dispose of the used condom, he was arrested by the locals who had already surrounded the house.

He was reportedly arrested and taken to the home of an LC1 chairman before being handed over to his colleagues at Amolatar Central Police Station that Sunday night.

Mr Moses Junior Okot B’tek, Kioga County Member of Parliament, alleged that the OC Station committed a series of offences in Amolatar District prior to the alleged defilement case. 

“Okello Ochan was one of the accused persons who shot at me in 2019… I have confirmed that he is in police custody,” the legislator told journalists on Monday. 

The District Police Commander (DPC), Mr Jacob Chepsikor, confirmed the arrest of the accused officer.

“We got the information today (Monday) in the morning and I, as the DPC, we acted on the information …we had to move to the scene where they claim that the act of defilement of the minor [took place]. We have also taken a step of detaining him. He is detained at CPS Amolatar. He and the victim have been medically examined. We have also communicated to the regional (North Kyoga) leaders,” ASP Chepsikor said.