Maj Gen Charles Otema-Awany
Bamugemereire issues warrant of arrest against Gen Otema
The warrant of arrest follows Otema's failure to appear before the Commission on August 31, as required.
“Maj Gen Otema Awany has just started his defense. We did warn him to come and complete his defense. But he has not. This commission issues a warrant of arrest against Maj Gen Charles Otema Awany. He has to appear before this Commission on Monday 3rd of September at 9am without fail” Justice Catherine Bamugemereire ordered on August 31.
Otema is accused of land grabbing and violent eviction of more than 6,000 families in Purongo and Apwoyo sub-counties in Nwoya district. It is alleged that between March and April 2018, Otema, the UPDF Reserve Force commander, deployed armed soldiers and forcefully evicted hundreds of families from their ancestral grounds where they have lived since time immemorial.
The land in question where he allegedly grabbed, belongs to the Jonam community and covers several villages in Obira, Purongo and Got Apwoyo sub-counties. Otema is jointly accused with several others, including one Dr Fred Oola, said to be based in Iraq, Capt Martin Labeja, and Nwoya district water engineer, Okumu Anywar.
Appearing before the Commission earlier, Otema denied having grabbed any land belonging to the Alur community. Otema claimed that the land is question belongs to him .
“That is my land. I bought it and I have its title. I didn’t grab any land or evict any anybody” Otema said.
He claims that he bought the land from a one Odokonyero. However, one of the complainants, and resident of Obira village, Jathim Pyerino in his candid testimony moved the commissioners to tears when he narrated how his house was set on fire at about 11pm at night.
“I was in the house sleeping with my wife when they set fire in our house. We saw the house burning, but we had nowhere to go. My wife screamed, cried and made alarm. But nobody came to our rescue,” Pyerino said.
“The house burnt and burnt until I was left with no option but to force myself out. My clothes were all burnt and my body was burnt. When I forced myself out. I found soldier armed with guns waiting for me for me. I was immediately arrested, tortured and tied kandoya style. I was dragged all night long and abandoned in Anaka police cells in Anaka.
Evidence presented before the Justice Bamugemereire-led Commission shows that the disputed land is located in 28 villages in the Albert Nile region where Pakwach district and Murchison Falls national park sits.
Pyerino, 66, one of the victims who lost property on the 48-acre piece of land that he owned customarily further testified that armed soldiers and workers from Gen Otema’s farm, burnt a well known trading centre in Obira village called Kazanako to ashes.
He said the incident happened on March 20, 2018. Pyerino further states that the land where Otema now has his farm, was also grabbed from their Jonam community.
Among the properties destroyed during the violent evictions include the government-aided Obira primary school and a church at Kazanaku trading centre. In his testimony, Pyerino blamed Gen Otema for the violent March and April incidents that forced people to flee to the neighbouring Pakwach district.
“The attack, beatings, arrests and torture when I was into coma, were done under the watch of the Nwoya district police commander Okello. All my property was robbed; my animals were taken and now my plantations have been harvested by those men without my consent,” Pyerino, who lived in Obira South, one of the three villages that were attacked added.
Pyerino said all efforts to find justice through courts of law have since failed.
“After people being kicked out and brutalised, the land is surrounded by soldiers and no one can go back to it. The people, who were arrested were told that the soldiers are sent by Maj Gen Otema and he deployed civilians with guns to patrol the land, which he calls his farm,” he testified.
Otema is also reported to have fenced off the land right up to the river shores including the landing site used by the residents.
“If he really claims that that is his land, we are going to invite the crocodiles along the shores of the river to come and testify and prove him wrong” Pyerino said in an exclusive interview with The Observer.
Justice Bamugemereire said the Commission will hear evidence from all parties named in the dispute before advising government on the measures of solving the impasse. She however, warned that the Commission will not tolerate any threats whatsoever in the course of the hearings.
“We would like to warn anybody who would want to cause danger to Mr Pyerino and other complainants that the big eye of government and the Commission are open on you,” Justice Bamugemereire ordered.
The hearing of Otema’s case continues at the Commission. Otema, has been ordered to produce the land titles he claims to own before the Commission.
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