Police in Koboko District are investigating the fatal shooting of a 68-year-old South Sudanese refugee.It is suspected that she was killed by an armed man believed to have crossed into Uganda from neighbouring South Sudan.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Wajju One Cluster, Ajipara Parish, Lobule Sub-county, and is recorded under Koboko Central Police Station Criminal Reference Book (CRB) 345/2026.The deceased has been identified as Mariam Etitu, a South Sudanese refugee living in Koboko District.
According to police, the suspected gunman, identified as Moses Asio, 38, allegedly demanded ten thousand shillings from women occupying land belonging to his father in the Wajju refugee settlement.
Police say Asio is believed to have been affiliated with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), an armed group operating in South Sudan.Police allege that while several residents paid the money, Etitu pleaded that she could not afford the fee.It is alleged that Asio then drew an assault rifle concealed beneath his jacket and shot her dead before fleeing the scene.
West Nile Regional Police spokesperson Josephine Angucia said the District Police Commander alerted the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), prompting a joint intelligence-led operation to track down the suspect.
According to Angucia, security forces intercepted Asio along the Koboko–Yumbe road, where he was killed following what police described as an exchange of gunfire. She said security personnel recovered an SMG rifle loaded with six rounds of ammunition from the suspect.
Police also arrested Bernard Data, 26, a South Sudanese refugee and boda boda rider from Ariwa Sub-county in Yumbe District, who was allegedly transporting Asio on a motorcycle. Detectives are investigating whether he knew the suspect was armed or had participated in the shooting.
The bodies of Etitu and Asio were taken to Koboko General Hospital for post-mortem examinations. Police later released Etitu’s body to relatives for burial, while the recovered firearm and motorcycle remain in police custody as exhibits.
Angucia urged members of the public to report armed individuals to security agencies, saying illegal firearms continue to pose a serious threat to communities in the region. She attributed part of the challenge to the porous borders between Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which she said allow illegal weapons to move across borders.
The incident comes only days after security officials from Uganda and South Sudan concluded a four-day bilateral meeting in Arua City, where they adopted 22 resolutions aimed at strengthening cross-border security cooperation and curbing armed criminality that has affected communities along the common border for more than a decade-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
