The Criminal Investigations Directorate-CID has arrested a 17-year-old senior two student for announcing the Inspector General of Police, Martins Okoth Ochola dead on Facebook.
Last month, stories made rounds on social media claiming the Inspector General of Police, John Martins Okoth Ochola was critically ill and that he had been admitted to the intensive care unit. The police however dismissed the claims as being untrue.
“Please disregard rumors circulating on social media claiming that the IGP is hospitalized and on oxygen,” a statement that was released by Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga stated in September . “We do reiterate that the IGP is not hospitalized as claimed in certain media circles. He is in good condition.
Charles Twine, the CID spokesperson said that on September, 22, 2021, a post on Facebook by an account under the name Brison Olywl Oz declared that Ochola had “finally died” and that he should “rest in peace”, prompting investigations into the incident.
“Our investigators from the cyber unit working together with Uganda Communication Commission-CC followed up the case and found that the Facebook account had been opened using a phone number, belonging to Fatumah Nakazibwe who was tracked and arrested Twiine said.
He explained that upon interrogation, Nakazibwe denied having a Facebook account but said she would always giving her phone to the son identified as Mubarak Mubiru who was also arrested.
Following Mubiru’s arrest and interrogation, he admitted owning the Facebook account but claimed he used the phone with three other colleagues and could have been behind the post announcing the police chief dead.
Police arrested the other three colleagues of Mubiru as investigations into the incident continued. According to Twine, the 17-year-old boy later confessed to having been behind the post announcing Ochola dead.
“After investigations were completed, the Inspector General of Police as the complainant was informed but on realizing the person behind the offense was a 17 year old, and considering that he is also a parent, he advised that he should be forgiven since he is still a minor,” Twine explained.
He however noted that the file has been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions to ensure the charges of offensive communication slapped against this boy are formally dropped in accordance with the law.
“The withdrawal of these charges is only a monopoly of the director of public prosecutions, but the IGP has asked us to engage the parent to understand that it is not good to leave the phone to the children without knowing what they are doing with the phones so many crimes are being committed using parents phones without their knowledge. Twine stated.”