By Andrew Irumba
Mityana: A witchdoctor suspected to have murdered people and hid the remains in his shrine has been arrested by the police in Mityana district.
Godfrey Luyombya, a renowned witchdoctor, was arrested during an operation conducted by police and other security officers. Several remains which include three skulls, hair, blood and bones were recovered from Luyombya’s pit latrine and shrine, which prompted police to suspect that he could have sacrificed the the people whose remains he had. Other things recovered from the shrine include knickers, animal skins and hides, plus fetishes. The police raided Luyombya’s shrine after several complaints from residents who accused him of allegedly being involved in ritual murders. One of the area residents identified as Isaac Kamoga said that “Luyombya has been moving in the night with suspicious individuals for a long time. Sometimes he and his friends carried items in sacks which they often took to the shrine.” The Zigoti East LC 1 Chairperson Yowasi Nakabale said that “Luyombya was a lay leader in the church, but later established a shrine, claiming that he had received vision from his ancestors (Bajaja).”
However, the suspect’s wives who include Hamida Nakasinde and Caroline Nankya, say they were also shocked to see police retrieving human remains from their home, because they didn’t know their husband had been hiding them there. Nankya, who has been married to Luyombya since the 1980’s, fainted on seeing skulls being pulled out of the shrine. Nankya told cops that although her husband had turned into a witchdoctor, she never knew that he was involved in acts of human sacrifice or murder. Norbert Ochom, the Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson, said Luyombya will be paraded in court to face murder charges although the police are still investigating the matter to establish the exact people the remains found in his shrine belonged to and how they died.
