Wacho Walter, a resident of Otwal trading centre B village, Okii parish in otwal sub-county, Oyam district, has called upon the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) through the Police Standards Unit to investigate the conduct of Oyam police and take disciplinary action against responsible persons found culpable.
He has also advocated for intervention from the Uganda Human Rights Commission to investigate alleged torture and abuse by Oyam Central Police Station.
Addressing journalists in Lira City on Tuesday, April 27, 2026, Wacho Walter, one of the suspects arrested on March 18, 2026, by police from Oyam Central Police Station and later released on March 22, 2026, on police bond, accused the Oyam Police CID department, of illegally detaining him beyond the mandatory 48 hours without presenting him to court.
Wacho further accused Oyam CID of trumping up charges of aggravated robbery against him under CRB No. 204/2026, with malicious intent to deter him from following up on his ancestral land where his father is buried.
Wacho further accused a state attorney (name withheld), who hails from Oyam and with whom the land is being contested, of being behind the trumped-up charges.
According to his statement, Wacho Walter said he was falsely arrested on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Oyam trading centre while going about his normal business, having committed no offence. He affirmed that there are various witnesses who can testify about his arrest.
He added that immediately after arrest, he was taken to Oyam Police Station and detained for over 60 hours without making any statement. Later, he was made to record a statement and was then released on March 22, 2026, after 84 hours in detention.
However, according to the Constitution of Uganda, a person cannot be detained beyond 48 hours without being produced in court.
For that matter, Wacho has asked the Police Standards Unit to investigate the conduct of Oyam Police and take disciplinary action against responsible persons found culpable.
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He stated that apart from torture and illegal detention, “he was left in the rain for several hours deliberately.”
In March this year (2026), the High Court of Uganda awarded one Walusimbi Shafik 10 million Ugandan shillings as compensation after he was detained for more than 48 hours, in a ruling made by Justice Joyce Kavuma.
Walusimbi told court that he was arrested at his home in Kisimbi, Wakiso town council, on November 20, 2024, and detained at the Kireka Flying Squad detention facility.
Police CID in Lango have recently been in the spotlight for being on the wrong side of the law. Kole OC CID, Detective Dickens Ebong, was recently arrested for the attempted rape of a high school student from Akalo Comprehensive Secondary School. The incident allegedly happened on April 21, 2026.
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When contacted for comment on the allegations raised by the suspect regarding his illegal detention and torture by his officers, Oyam District Police Commander (DPC) Francis Okongo told our reporter: “Let the suspect come and report that matter at the CPS.”
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