Tororo Pastor faces murder charges in case of ritual sacrifice of 6-year-old boy

Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in Tororo is holding a pastor and three other people accused of murdering a 6-year-old boy in child sacrifice rituals.

The pastor, Ponsiano Olowo from Kisoko Gwarara Church, and his co-accused Kenede Obbo a boda boda rider, with his yet to be identified wife, all residents of Ponyira village, have been arrested. Also in custody is another Wilfred Ochieng a resident of Popany village in Magola Sub County in Tororo district.

The four were arrested on Thursday on claims of being involved in killing a young boy and dumping his body in Mella Bridge in Podut A village with his eyes missing and the skin peeled off his face.

According to the boy’s father Patrick Osinde, a group of machete wielding men came attacked his house on Monday night and held him hostage for over 10 minutes while another group entered his mother’s house where his children sleep and made off with his child.

Osinde says that after the incident, filed a case of kidnap at Mile 8 police post in Magola Sub County which launched a hunt for the missing child until they found the body on Thursday morning lying lifeless with all indications of child sacrifice.

Police commanded by the district police commander Rodgers Chebene moved with a sniffer dog that led the team to the home of Ochieng who confessed to have been hired for sh1 million to murder and skin the boy for money-generating rituals.   He told Police that Obbo has have been hosting Pastor Ponsiano Olowo for over two weeks at his home as they the sacrifice of the child was being planned.

On hearing this account, police rushed to Obbo’s home and found Pastor Ponsiano and his collaborator who survived being lynched by a mob before being whisked away to the Central Police Station together with Obo’s wife.

Tororo DPC Rodgers Chebene condemned the act saying it’s beneath human standards, assuring the bereaved family that he will follow the matter to ensure that they are given justice.

He said the four will be charged with murder and child sacrifice and will be arraigned in court to answer to the charges.

He also asked the general public to be careful of persons who call themselves pastors without proper churches noting that most of them are witch doctors.

The Magola sub county chairperson Ojwang Obbo says he is going to push the sub county council to pass by-laws that will check the activities of witch doctors and fake pastors in his sub county.

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