• Updated by Faith Barbara Namagembe at 1328 EAT on Wednesday 25th May 2022.

The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) has apologized for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Josephine Adoch, a student of Amyel Lapono SEED secondary school in Lira district on Monday night. 

Adoch was reportedly shot dead near a military detachment at around 10:00 pm. Capt Amos Nsambu, the UPDF 5th Division public relations officer, says that the deceased was mistakenly shot after she entered an ambush that was laid by security forces deployed to counter suspected cattle rustlers.

According to Nsambu, the security officers laid the ambush based on credible intelligence information about the likely movement of suspected Karimajong cattle rustlers who were earlier spotted in the area armed with a gun, bows, and arrows.  

Nsambu says the deceased first obliged when ordered to stop, but started fleeing moments after, which prompted the forces to fire live bullets killing her instantly.

Alexander Okidi, the Lira Kato sub-county LC V councillor, says locals allege that the deceased was involved in a relationship with a soldier identified as Ben Ocan Adyang and it’s believed she could have been on her way to visit the boyfriend at the time of the shooting. 

Adyang confessed before the deceased’s clan about his relationship with the deceased but declined claims that he invited her to their detachment since she was said to be in school. According to the bereaved family members, the deceased had just returned home from school over pending dues.

Agago district LC V chairperson Leonard Ojok Opio condemned the incident and called for an expeditious investigation into the shooting.