By Spy Uganda
A team of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), Uganda Police and other sister security agencies on Sunday arrested a witchdoctor suspected to have spearheaded the attack on a UPDF detach in Zombo district a few days ago.
Charles Ovoya, a renowned witchdoctor in Zombo district, has been in hiding ever since the attack, but was arrested at around 2: 00 Pm on Sunday, in Ochayo Village, Wadilayi Sub-County, Pakwach District.
The UPDF managed to arrest Ovoya with help from the very collaborative community, the Gombolola Internal Security officer and the entire security framework in Zombo district.
Sources reveal that at the time of his arrest, Ovoya had gone to hide at the home of one of his relatives identified as Julius Obecan.
It is said that when security operatives surrounded the home, Ovoya tried to flee arrest but the community helped to catch him as he tried to cross R. Nile.
By the time of filing this story Ovoya was still under custody at Gulu 4th Infantry Division headquarters for further interrogations and possible prosecution.
A gang of people armed with rudimentary weapons that included pangas, spears, bow and arrows attacked the UPDF detach in Zombo district on March 5, 2020, and left five soldiers dead, although during the scuffle, the soldiers also managed to kill at least 17 attackers and arrested many others, who have since provided valuable information about how the attack was planned.
During interrogation, UPDF officers learnt however that the attackers have been encouraged to engage in combat with UPDF soldiers after being given charms by a witchdoctor (Ovoya) that would make them bulletproof, although that wasn’t the case when they came face to face with the soldiers.
Prior to arresting Ovoya, the UPDF had arrested 27 people from Zombo and detained at the 4th UPDF Infantry Division barracks in Gulu district in northern Uganda for interrogation about the attack.
The suspects were flown aboard a military chopper to Gulu over the weekend following their arrest last Friday.
Maj. Caesar Olweny, the 4th Division Infantry spokesperson told the media that the suspects will undergo interrogation to ascertain the motive behind the attack.
He said the suspects were picked up from Jangokoro, Nyapeya, Atyak, and Paidha in an operation mounted by the army. “We have a total of 27 suspects at our headquarters in Gulu who were arrested from Zombo.
These suspects are being interrogated in relation to the Zombo detach attacks,” said Maj Olweny.
He added that the army is also screening the suspects to identify the ring leaders behind the attacks and it is not surprising that Ovoya has since been arrested, although the army is still hunting down his other accomplices.
