Police have detained Dan Oola Odiya, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) deputy National Secretary for Mobilization at Nalufenya Police Station, in Jinja district, Eastern Uganda, according to his lawyer Nicholas Opiyo.
Odiya and two other suspects were re-arrested minutes after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) discontinued proceedings against them on Thursday morning at the Gulu magistrate’s court.
The trio were re-arrested in the precincts of court in Gulu by plain- clothed Police Flying Squad, a crack unit of the police and driven towards the direction of Kampala in a white Toyota Mark II car registration number UAZ 992M.
It has now emerged that Mr Odiya and his co- accused Kenneth Otto and Sam Ojok Oboma were driven to Kampala where Mr Otto and Mr Oboma are being detained at Kireka Special Investigations Unit while Odiya was moved to Nalufenya in Jinja district.
“Well, it is true the Director of Public Prosecutions has withdrawn the charges against those people who were arrested on treason, concealment of treason and murder. If you remember the team that is being led by Odiya Dan, so he has been re-arrested for more interviewing that will be done from police headquarters. Therefore they have already been transferred to police headquarters pending more investigation,” Aswa region police spokesman which covers the Acholi region in northern Uganda told Acholi Times.
The lawyer of the accused, Nicholas Opiyo told Acholi Times in a phone interview on Friday that he had visited Otto and Oboma saying his clients are in good physical condition and had not complained about their treatment in their new place of detention.
“I have seen the other two, they are fine, I talked to Dan on phone too,” Opiyo said.
The lawyer, however, said he is not aware of any fresh charges having been brought against the trio.
He strongly condemned the re-arrest of his clients describing it as an abuse of their rights.
“What has happened in court [yesterday] is really one, a rape of the judiciary, abduction of the accused persons, and unlawful arrest by unknown persons within court premises. It is a serious violations of the rights of the accused persons, it is a serious violation of the due process,” said Opiyo.
On Thursday, Gulu Grade One Magistrate’s court presided over by Paul Owino was informed by the Gulu Resident State Attorney, Paul Wepondi that Director of Public Prosecution had dropped charges against Dan Oola Odiya, and two others who had earlier been charged with treason, concealment, murder by shooting and attempted murder.
In the letter dated January 11, 2017, and signed by Mike J Chibita, the DPP wrote to the Chief Magistrate’s Court Gulu, and copied to the Resident State Attorney Gulu and Regional CIID Aswa Region, he informed them that his office has decided to discontinue the proceedings against Odiya and the two others identified as Kenneth Otto and Sam Ojok Obama.
The charges arose from the attack on UPDF installation in Opit, Lakwana Sub County, Omoro District late May last year.
Two people were killed including a Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel.
Odiya and his co-accused were arrested on allegations that he masterminded the attacks where two people were killed and eight guns looted.
But only days to making 7 months in detention, their trial has failed to kick off.
