By KT Reporter
A Congolese national has been arrested at Goli Customs in Nebbi District while attempting to cross into Uganda on foot with 24 minors and two adults, suspected to be a case of child trafficking. According to security sources, the suspect claimed he was transporting the children to Ocea Zone in the Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile Region.
However, he failed to present authentic documents verifying the destination or his guardianship of the minors, leading to his arrest on Monday morning. Nebbi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Robert Abak identified the suspect as John Bwona Oyirwoth from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Abak confirmed the arrest while en route to DR Congo for a cross-border peace agreement meeting aimed at combating border crimes. “We have been registering one to two cases of child trafficking at the Goli border from DR Congo, but often when suspects are arrested, they are repatriated back to Congo,” Abak said.
In his defense, Oyirwoth claimed he was relocating children related to him, whose parents were allegedly killed during ethnic clashes between the Alur and Lendu communities in DR Congo. “I was from Ocea Zone in Rhino Camp but returned to Congo to rescue children of my relatives whose parents were killed by Lendu fighters due to the ethnic conflict,” Oyirwoth stated.
Meanwhile, Colonel Disanoa Laula, the administrator of military affairs in Mahagi Territory, Eastern Ituri Province of DR Congo, emphasized that both countries are working jointly to tackle cross-border crimes such as child trafficking, robberies, and smuggling.
“We need to unite and fight crimes by negotiating peace across the two countries as a way of improving our economies for sustainable development,” Col. Laula said. The minors and adults are currently under the custody of Ugandan security agencies as investigations continue-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
