The life sentence handed to a school director convicted of murdering a five-year-old pupil for alleged ritual sacrifice has been welcomed by residents of Teso, who say the punishment should serve as a warning to school administrators and other people involved in child abuse.
Soroti High Court sentenced Suzan Vivian Ariokot, one of the directors of Jozan Nursery and Primary School, to life imprisonment after finding her guilty of murdering Joan Faith Apio, a Primary One pupil whose body was discovered in a school latrine.
The court found that Ariokot, together with her husband, Joseph Okedi, and police officer John Bosco Obotol, participated in the murder of Apio in a suspected ritual sacrifice intended to obtain wealth.
Ariokot becomes the first person to receive a life sentence from Soroti High Court since its establishment in the early 2000s.
Justice Boniface Wamala says the murder had caused fear and trauma to the victim’s family and the wider community, describing the killing of a five-year-old child as an abhorrent act.
The judge sentenced Obotol to 45 years in prison and Okedi to 35 years for their roles in aiding the ritual sacrifice. Residents say the verdict should also prompt closer scrutiny of schools and strengthen the protection of children entrusted to educational institutions.
By URN
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