Police in Serere District have arrested a primary school teacher in connection with the death of her boyfriend, a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier whose body was discovered hanging from a mango tree within a school compound.
The suspect, Mercy Iyogil, a teacher at Olio Primary School, is being held as detectives investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Michael Ojakol, popularly known as Ojakoro.
Ojakol was attached to the 150th Artillery Brigade and had been deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At the time of his death, he was on pass leave at his home in Agoltom Village, Serere District.
According to South Kyoga regional police spokesperson ASP Stephen Mukombe, preliminary investigations indicate that Ojakol and Iyogil were involved in a disagreement on the evening of June 2, reportedly linked to allegations of infidelity.
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The pair later sought the intervention of the school’s head teacher, who mediated the dispute from his office.
Police said the matter was resolved during the meeting, after which Iyogil allegedly gave Ojakol Shs100,000 to facilitate his return to his duty station.
Investigators believe the soldier left the school premises shortly afterwards and was expected to travel back to work.
However, the following morning, his body was found hanging from a mango tree in the school gardens by a local resident, Dominique Oba.
Police officers visited the scene, documented evidence and transported the body to Serere Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Mukombe said initial findings from the postmortem raised suspicions of foul play.
“The postmortem report indicates that the deceased was killed before his body was suspended on the tree. The body had also been tied several times,” he said.
Iyogil has since been detained to assist with investigations as police work to establish exactly what happened before the soldier’s death.
Police have appealed to anyone with information that could assist detectives to report to Serere Central Police Station.
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