POLICE ACTIVELY REVIEWING ALLEGATIONS IN THE BBC DOCUMENTARY

The Special Investigations Division of the Directorate of CID, is actively reviewing allegations contained in a mini-documentary by the BBC, surrounding acts of child trafficking and child sacrifice for ritualistic purposes that took place in 2011 but posted recently on various platforms. In the documentary, the journalist relies on the account of   a child survivor only identified as Allan the miracle child, aged 9, who was allegedly kidnapped and castrated. He also makes mention of a local witch doctor Awali who allegedly sacrificed children, by cutting off their feet, hands, heads, genitals and also collected their blood, to purposely  boost his clients health and wealth. The witch doctor in question was however arrested and is undergoing prosecution. We are going to explore the depth of the allegations of child sacrifice before and after 2011, when the documentary was recorded.

As standard practice, we took interest straight away in the documentary and used our intelligence to track down the other suspect, Bakaki  Yunusu and arrested him from  Elegu. At the time of his arrest, he was dealing in the transportation of goods to and from South Sudan.

We have opened a General Inquiry File, to investigate the suspect on allegations promoting Trafficking in Person c/s 7(g) of the Prevention of Trafficking in Person Act, 2009. We believe the suspect during the year, 2011 to date could have been engaged in the buying and selling of children.  In addition, we are also investigating him for Attempted Trafficking in Person c/s 8(a) and 226 of the Prevention of Trafficking in person’s Act, 2009. We strongly believe that the suspect prepared, organized  or conducted preliminary activities of trafficking in children, between 2011 to date, where he met with an alleged buyer of children, in order to target, transfer or harbour children, but was interrupted from fulfilling his intention to commit the offense of trafficking in persons.

We want to inform the public that since 2011, the Anti-human Trafficking Department, Homicides and the Directorate of CPC, have carried out massive awareness in close coordination among the general population.  And by 2019, the cases of murders for ritualistic purposes had tremendously reduced to 19. Going forward, and in collaboration with stakeholders like Kyampisi Children’s Home, we are visiting schools, communities including street children and talking to them about the threat of the vice and how they can be protected.  We will not allow these types of offenders to carry on committing these awful crimes against young innocent children. Our task team is going to thoroughly interrogate the suspect and expand inquiries accordingly.

As we conclude, we call upon anyone who believes they are victims or families of child trafficking, child sacrifice or attempted child trafficking and child sacrifice, or to avail this information to the Special Investigations Division at Kireka or any nearest police station.

CP Fred Enanga

Public Relations Officer

Uganda Police Force

17^th May 2021