OYAM DISTRICT – February 4, 2026 – Police in Oyam District have launched a murder investigation following the brutal lynching of a 35-year-old man by a mob in Teyen “B” Village, Iceme Sub-county, on Wednesday morning. The incident, triggered by allegations of goat theft, has drawn strong condemnation from authorities who have decried the act as "primitive injustice."
According to a statement from the North Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, the alarm was raised at approximately 6:00 a.m. when the village Chairman, LC1 Okello Patrick, was alerted to shouts of “thief, thief” along Teyen Opur Road.
Upon rushing to the scene, the chairman made a grim discovery: the body of Okello Bonny, a peasant and resident of the same village. Preliminary information indicates that the deceased had been accused by the mob of being found moving with a suspected stolen goat, which was reportedly tied to his leg, at around 5:30 a.m.
Chairman Okello Patrick immediately reported the incident to Iceme Police Station, which registered a case of murder.
“Police registered a case of murder. The homicide team visited and documented the scene, and statements were recorded from relevant witnesses,” stated SP Okema.
The body of the deceased was conveyed to Anyeke Health Centre IV mortuary for a postmortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death. A goat, suspected to be the one at the center of the fatal dispute, was recovered from the scene. It is currently held at Iceme Police Station pending identification by its rightful owner.
As of the time of the statement, no suspects in the lynching have been arrested. SP Okema confirmed that “investigations into the matter are ongoing.”
In a forceful appeal, the police spokesperson condemned the mob action and urged the public to follow lawful procedures. “We strongly condemn such primitive acts of injustice. Rather, we encourage community members to report and support police with evidence so that suspects are taken through criminal court proceedings,” he emphasized.
The incident has cast a pall over Teyen “B” Village and highlights the ongoing challenge of mob justice in parts of the country, where communities often take the law into their own hands, resulting in fatal consequences.
