Of the total amount, 60 million Shillings is awarded as general damages for the violation of Adyebo's right to life, with a 10 percent annual interest accruing from the date of the ruling until the payment is made in full.
The Uganda Human Rights Commission-UHRC Tribunal has awarded 65 million shillings in compensation to a 68-year-old woman following the murder of her son by police. Of the total amount, 60 million shillings is awarded as general damages for the violation of Adyebo's right to life, with a 10 percent annual interest accruing from the date of the ruling until the payment is made in full.
An additional 5 million shillings is awarded as exemplary damages. Katorin Alango, a resident of Bung-gudu village in Inomo Sub-County, Apac District, filed the complaint as both the mother and administrator of the estate of her late son, Adyebo Francis, alias Onyala. He was murdered by police on October 25, 2007, at the age of 29.
In its ruling, the tribunal, chaired by Mariam Wangady and composed of Col. (RTD) Stephen Basaliza, Lamex Omara Apita, and Crispin Kaheru as commissioners, noted that Adyebo was a young man who never had the opportunity to experience the joys of becoming a husband and father.
“He had many
decades of life ahead of him before his life was brutally snatched from him by
the state agents,” the ruling reads. Adding
that Otim's actions were impossible to describe. “The right to life is the most important without which all the other rights and freedoms cannot be enjoyed.”
//Cue in: “Death
is final…
Cue out:
...of their work.”//
Meanwhile Alango
welcomed the ruling saying she waited for justice for so long. She hopes
government will respect the ruling.
//Cue in:
“Gini dong alole…
Cue out: …
acam ginoro iye.”//
Translation:
“This thing took so long, followed it for many years and am now getting old. If
the government values her people, they should pay me now so that I can at least
taste something out of it.”
Report
indicates that on 24 October 2007, Francis Adyebo alias Onyala was remanded to
Erute Government Prison in Lira on grounds of alleged theft however, the next day, the then Lira
District Police Commander Raymond Otim in the company of the officer in charge
criminal investigations Department Christopher Ocamgiu went to Erute and
requested that Adyebo be handed over to him as they needed him in the
investigation of a murder case.
Adyebo was
duly handed over to them by the Carly shift Gate keeper No. 6777 Cpl. Amot
Olong but the following day (26th October) Katorin Alango learnt of Adyebo's
death. His body which had bullet wounds on both the head and chest was
retrieved from Lira Hospital mortuary that same day.
Her son
having died while in police custody, Alango contended that state security
agents killed her son, and that the said killing was unlawful and intentional,
and amounted to violation of his right to life. Upon hearing,
the commission also held Otim responsible for Adyebo’s death.
“We are
convinced that the DPC, Lira Police Station then Raymond Otim was responsible
for the death of Adyebo. He conned and bullied Cpl. Amot Olong into releasing Adyebo
to him. The next day Adyebo was lying dead in Lira Hospital Mortuary; his upper
body riddled with bullet wounds.”
According
to records, all the three prisons officers testified that it was Otim who took
Adyebo and having proved that Otim took custody of Adyebo, the burden shifted
to Otim to answer how Adyebo died. “Otim total
failed or refused to answer how Adyebo died. We reasonably believe that Otim
either personally shot and killed Adyebo or gave orders to shoot and kill him
and so it was done.
