Man dies while rescuing drowning cow in Pader swamp
Police patrol vehicles. PHOTO/FILE/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- IP Joe Oloya, the Aswa East Regional Police Spokesperson, the deceased had stepped in to assist a young boy struggling to retrieve cattle stuck in the swamp when the accident happened.
Police in Pader District are investigating the circumstances under which a man died from self-inflicted wounds while attempting to rescue a cow that had run wild and become trapped in a swamp.
The deceased, identified only as Ojuku, a resident of Laminachwe Village, Lunyiri Sub-County in Pader District, reportedly accidentally stabbed himself in the chest with a spear during the rescue attempt. The tragic incident occurred on March 21 as he was returning home from Rackoko Trading Centre.
According to IP Joe Oloya, the Aswa East Regional Police Spokesperson, the deceased had stepped in to assist a young boy struggling to retrieve cattle stuck in the swamp when the accident happened.
"The cow became wild, ran, and entered the swamp area where Ojuku (the deceased), who was from Rackoko Trading Centre, saw the young boy struggling and joined to help. In the process, it is alleged that the deceased was struck by the very spear on the chest and he died instantly," he said in a statement.
The male juvenile who witnessed the tragedy ran home and informed his father, Bosco Odong Obote, who later reported the incident to police at Rackoko Police Station.
"His father reported the incident to police at Rackoko Police Station," IP Oloya added.
However, when the news reached the deceased’s village, angry youth went on a rampage, demanding that police release the cattle owner so they could lynch him, blaming him for Ojuku’s death.
The situation prompted heavy police deployment in and around the police station to prevent mob action.
Despite the police presence, the group of youth later raided Obote's home, vandalizing and looting his property.
