Teenage herder shot dead by UPDF soldier in Abim

A UPDF soldier has shot dead a young herder in Abim district on Wednesday morning.

By Hope Owiny Ochero

Abim – January 12, 2022: The deceased believed to me in his mid-20s has been identified as Godfrey Ochaya Omer from Kanu in Abim sub-county. He was taking cattle for grazing on the hills of Kanu.

He is survived by a widow and a child. The breadwinner was shot at around 8:30 am after entering into an ambush manned by the UPDF soldiers.

Sources say the ambush was for trapping Karimojong cattle rustlers who had stolen cows from Abim district.

Peter Cromwell Okello, an eyewitness and a member of the same community said he rushed to the scene after hearing the gunshots.

“I first met two women crying and later got UPDF officers moving back to the barracks,” he recounted the event to TND News’ Hope Ochero. 

“I asked them what had transpired and the soldiers confessed shooting the herdsman and they said it was a mistake.”

According to Okello, the soldiers further told him they were expecting cattle rustlers to pass via the same route with stolen livestock and they mistook the deceased for being one of them.

 “It is not proper because the man was dressed like an ordinary person different from the way Karimojong cattle rustlers dress and he was not harmed,” talking with grief, Okello noted.

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Abim Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Peter Logiro confirmed the shooting and death.

Logiro said the incident is “regrettable” and added that “it was not intentional”. He told this publication that the body was taken to Abim hospital for postmortem.

“It is not yet clear if the army will meet the burial expenses or not,” RDC is not sure.

 On January 9, 2022, a police officer shot a football fan to death during a memorial match in Alerek, Abim district.