By Ronaldo Kalangi
Police in Lira District is stranded with 14 suspects of an alleged cult who have refused to talk since their arrest on Monday.
The arrested, were followers of a man who calls himself Jesus Christ of Lira, and the followers call themselves disciples of the man.
Before the arrest, the followers had sold all their family possessions and were camped in Akwo village, Abunga Parish in Barr Sub-county purportedly waiting for the end of the world in October 2017.
Among those arrested are two pupils of Primary Six, who had stopped going to school.
Police and local authorities say,people had a high regard for a man who called himself Yesu (Jesus), and they believed anything he said.
It is said that the 30-year-old man claimed he died, went to heaven and God sent him back on earth to announce the end of the world.
He also told his followers that God gave him a revelation that people who believe in him and his prophesy of the end of the world would actually go to heaven.
However, 14 people were arrested on Monday after heavily armed police officers led by the officer in charge Barr Police Station, Mr Robert Tobby Agwech, raided the camp. It was at this point that the leader fled.
Police say they found dozens of elderly people, children and youth cooking and eating. At least three female and 11 male youth between the ages of 18 and 20 were apprehended.
According to police, the leader’s real name is Alex Okello, a resident of Akwo village.
Police called upon other religious leaders to continue praying in an attempt to make the suspects come back to their right senses from desperacy. If this is done, it would enable police to record their statements before they can be transferred to Lira Central Police Station, about 20 kilometres away from Lira Town.
The chairman LC3 of Barr Sub-county, Mr Tom Edward Lemo, said the group that called themselves Jesus Hammer has been in the area for a long time and their numbers were increasing day by day.
He said at the time police stormed the area, there were about 20 people but others escaped the arrest.
“We are taking this matter very seriously because we don’t want what happened in Kanungu to happen here again,” Mr Lemo said.
