Olara Otunnu, the former President for Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party has protested failure by the Gulu Prisons’ authorities to produce Dan Oola Odiya, the detained National Secretary for Mobilization before the Gulu Grade One Magistrate’s Court.
Odiya was expected to appear before Paul Owino, the Gulu Grade Magistrate on Friday morning last week.
However when his name and the other two of his two co- accused were called by the court clerk, the Magistrate was informed by one of the prisons warder that he, Odiya was not brought before court.
This did not go well with Olara Otunnu and Odiya’s lawyer Nicholas Opiyo.
Both Otunnu and Opiyo demanded for an explanation from the prisons’ official on why Odiya was not brought before court.
Mr Opiyo also wanted Paul Wepondi, the State Attorney handling Odiya’s file to explain the reason behind the absence of the UPC leader in court.
But instead Magistrate Owino ordered that Odiya should be produced on January 12, 2017.
Addressing the press later, Nicholas Opiyo he was shocked by the action of the prison authorities failing to produce Dan Oola Odiya in court.
Opiyo claimed failure to produce his client in court was an act of connivance between security agencies.
“We think that the prisons’ authorities must have acted in connivance with other security to defeat today’s bail application. We remain concerned and we ask the commissioner general of prisons to act professionally and obey court orders and to ensure that suspects are produced in the courts of laws for their cases to be heard,” said Opiyo.
Opiyo faulted the court for not condemning the action of the Gulu prisons’ authorities.
“With this kind of abuse of the rule of law, with this kind of abuse of fundamental human rights and with this impunity, we are all not safe. If you are arrested, you will be subjected to such of treatment. If there is a case against Dan, bring that case to the courts of law and let us here the case,” stressed Opiyo.
Opiyo said he will write to the Inspector of courts, the commissioner general of prisons and the principle judge to protest the failure to produce his client in court.
On his part former UPC President and United Nations diplomat Olara Otunnu demanded for an expeditious trial of Oola Dan Odiya.
Odiya and his two co-accused had appeared before court on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 for mention of their case.
They are charged with treason, concealment of information, two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The charges relate to an attack in May this year on an army installation in Opit in Lakwana Sub county, Gulu district which left two people dead including a soldier.
1 Comment
Meno kiwaco ni bwura ki anywar. This man should be released immediately. He has done nothing that is why they did not produce him before magistrate. What sort of leadership which is doing nothing but fails to be reasonable? Harassing opposition leaders, locking them up will cause the downfall of this government.