Odonga Otto hands self to police after week of ‘manhunt’

Former Aruu County member of parliament Samuel Odonga Otto has voluntarily handed himself to the police.

Otto walked to the Aswa River Region police headquarters in Gulu city, northern Uganda on Monday morning, five days after the police launched a manhunt for him over allegations of aggravated torture and robbery in Pader district. 

Otto and a group of vigilantes are accused of beating and severely injuring three charcoal businessmen in the Atanga sub-county in Pader district on April 30. Speaking to the media earlier, Otto said that he decided to hand himself to the police since he read on social media that the police wanted him.

He however denied allegations against him, saying they are trumped up since he wasn’t even within the Acholi sub-region on the date the alleged incidents were reported.

“I am surprised, I saw on social media that the police want me and I have come. I have been in Kampala since Eid [day] so it is very interesting that the trumped-up charges and allegations levelled against me happened the very day I was in Kampala. Interestingly also on that day, I reported another incident at Namasuba police station. So Uganda police should try to coordinate but I’m here. We’re strong and we continue advocacy for the environment, we’ll not accept charcoal trade in Acholi and it is about time that the government of Uganda calls a national conference for energy because we’ll stop this charcoal trade in Acholi,” said Otto.

According to Otto, the level of environmental degradation in Acholi sub-region has reached alarming levels with its visible impact on climate change being currently felt in the region.

He however notes that despite their campaign, some police officers in the region are instead promoting the vice by shielding perpetrators of illegal charcoal trade by escorting them after receiving bribes.

“We know that we have created business for some rogue elements in police, and we have lodged an official campaign to the professional standards unit. For example, the in charge of environment…are involved in escorting charcoal vehicles. The last time, 12 box body vehicles were arrested in Amuru district, the next morning they were escorted by the police 999 truck up to Karuma [bridge] and each truck was paying Shs 2 million so they are beneficiaries for this trade and we’ll be strong and this is an environmental campaign, we’re all in the same boat. There is no rain in Acholi, where will our people go?” added Otto.

Last week, three people lodged complaints of torture and robbery at Atanga police station against Otto and unknown vigilantes still on the run. Police identified the victims of the alleged attack as Charles Ssemanda, Yusuf Wagwana, and Takafa Erisata who sustained severe body injuries.

Aswa River Region police spokesperson David Ongom Mudong said Otto has among other cases to answer including inciting locals to loot charcoal from a truck in Pader district.

“There was a case of theft against him [Otto] in regard to a truck of charcoal which he incited and the local community including him looted the charcoal from the truck. You know that charcoal could have been exhibits to be exhibited at police but the approach he used was very very wrong because it was even inciting violence. And definitely, as the police we needed to regulate such kinds of actions because once you let people take the law into their hands they can easily cause civil disobedience which is likely to affect the peace and stability of the others much as they are calling themselves activists but expressing their interests must not interfere with the freedom of others,” said Mudong.

He denied allegations that the police are involved in escorting trucks of charcoal out of the region despite the ban issued by the Environment ministry.

“We don’t escort the truck to exit but sometimes we escort them to be exhibited at the police, okay! That allegation where they say the police escort these trucks, nobody has come to open a case with evidence…that is just a verbal allegation,” added Mudong. 

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga last week noted in a statement that the suspects are also accused of robbing Shs 1.1 million from one of the victims before vandalizing a Fuso Truck, registration UBA 600B. Videos of the victims who appeared to have been held hostage and paraded in a compound during a downpour while on their knees and others lying on the ground undergoing interrogation by unknown people went viral last week. It received a fair share of condemnation on social media for the inhumane ways the businessmen were treated.

Otto launched a controversial approach to implement the charcoal ban in the region in February using local vigilantes under Ribbe Pi Paco (RPP), an environmental youth advocacy and activism group. The group stormed several charcoal hotspots in the region where they destroyed logs and charcoal and also intercepted trucks loaded with charcoal on the major highways.

The Environment ministry in February this year banned all districts in Acholi sub-region from issuing documents facilitating the commercial production and trade and transportation of charcoal following an outcry on the alarming environmental degradation.