Unknown thugs have shot dead a mobile money operator in Omoro District in the latest violent attack that is heightening fears among the business community across the Acholi Sub-region. The deceased has been identified as Raymond Onen, 25, a resident of Dika Village in Onyona Parish, Ongako Sub-county.
The attack occurred at around 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday in Kal Center Village, Kal Parish, Ongako Sub-county. Michael Kilama, the LC I Chairperson of Kal Center Village, told Uganda Radio Network on Thursday that the assailants arrived on a motorcycle and targeted Onen while he was still operating his mobile money business. According to Kilama, the gunmen held Onen and several customers at gunpoint before demanding money.
One of the attackers reportedly shot Onen in the leg and then fired a second shot into his chest before making off with cash and other valuables, including mobile phones. Onen succumbed to his injuries while being rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital, Lacor, approximately four kilometres from the scene of the attack. Kilama blamed the incident on inadequate security deployment in the sub-county, noting that only three police officers are responsible for the entire area.
“We need more police officers, including the army. People are now very afraid, thinking the same can happen to them,” Kilama said. The attack came only hours after local leaders had convened a security meeting to warn residents about rising security threats and advise them on business operating hours.
Richard Otika, the Omoro District Vice Chairperson and LC V Councillor representing Ongako Sub-county, described the deceased as a disciplined young man who neither drank alcohol nor smoked cigarettes. Otika said the killing had shocked the community and urged residents to remain vigilant while security agencies investigate the matter.
Emmanuel Okot, the Omoro Resident District Commissioner, confirmed that investigations had commenced and that security personnel were pursuing leads to apprehend the suspects. He appealed to members of the public to provide any information that could assist security agencies in tracking down those responsible for the attack. The body is lying at St. Mary’s Hospital, Lacor, in Gulu City pending a postmortem examination.
The latest shooting brings the number of fatal attacks by unknown gunmen in Gulu City, Gulu District, and Omoro District to three, with one additional victim injured, within the past month alone.
During the same period, a firearm was stolen from a private security guard in Gulu City, while at least ten motorcycles were stolen at gunpoint. One of the stolen motorcycles was later recovered across the Pogee border in Magwi County, South Sudan, near the Ngomoromo border point in Lamwo District–
