Alfred Ojera, a resident of Layibi Central B Ward, Pece division, Gulu municipality, had been planning an outing for a long time. On the afternoon of July 5, 2003, Basil Ojera, his 77 year-old grandfather, gave him Shs 5,000 for him to use as he pleased. Alfred was ecstatic. He hadn’t had that much money in weeks.
By 10.00 pm that evening, Alfred, together with his cousin Okello and a friend Peter Opio, were drinking and in high spirits at a local disco hall, Opit Travelers Inn, in Gulu town. Alfred told his cousin that he was feeling lucky – a lady he had been dancing with seemed promising.
 At just past 4.00 am, two gentlemen approached Ojera on the dance floor. They identified themselves as UPDF soldiers and asked him to identify himself. He promptly gave them his identity card, after which the men left. Moments later, another man, this time in military uniform, approached Ojera and demanded to see his identification, which he again showed. Ojera began to get concerned. He asked his friend Opio what could be wrong. “Don’t worry. Its normal here,†Opio said. In Gulu, soldiers asking for identification in disco halls was common, especially because of the rebel activity in the area.
But Ojera had become edgy after all the questioning. He wanted to leave but did not want to go without the girl he had been dancing with. So he asked his cousin to help him look for the girl around the hall. Twenty minutes later, when they could not find the girl, they decided to leave. As they stepped out of the disco hall, two UPDF soldiers in uniform approached the trio and arrested Ojera. They ordered Opio and Okello to leave.
At 9.00 am that morning, Alfred’s grandfather Basil Ojera awoke to a visit from Opio, and heard the news of Alfred’s arrest. He immediately went to the local councilor’s office and reported the arrest. The LC and Basil went to Koro Barracks where they met the public relations officer. He had no information about Ojera’s whereabouts. They then went to Gulu police station, where they recorded a statement. The police also communicated to the army. By the end of that day, Basil still could not locate his grandson.
The next day, on July 7, 2003, Basil received information from the police that his grandson was being held at the 4th Division Barracks. He was afraid to go to the barracks and opted, on the advice of his LC, to report the matter to the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) office in Gulu. Ten days later, Alfred Ojera was set free.
The tribunal, led by Commissioner Veronica Eragu Bichetero, held six hearings on the case. The respondent, an officer from the office of the attorney general, did not accept or deny responsibility since the client, the UPDF, refused to provide information about the detention of Alfred Ojera. Testimonies were heard from three witnesses, Alfred, his friend Peter Opio and his grandfather Basil Ojera.
“They took me up the road where another group of five soldiers were waiting. There I saw three other people in civilian clothing sitting on the ground. All the way they kept saying they knew I was an LRA rebel.â€
Ojera told the tribunal that the soldiers allowed the other detainees to go, but kept him and another middle-aged man captive. They were taken to a football field in Gulu, Kaunda grounds. Here, they were separated; the second detainee was taken to Koro while Ojera was taken to the 4th Division Barracks. There he was stripped. The soldiers said they were looking for marks of rebellion on his body. The looked at his shoulders, neck and legs. They finally concluded that he was a rebel. Ojera would remain in the army custody for 10 days.
“They told me that my body showed signs of being a rebel. I denied. They beat me. They used a nail cutter to pinch my neck and a soda bottle to hit my knees and elbows,†he told the tribunal as he showed them the wounds on his body.
His testimony was corroborated by that of Peter Opio. Opio told the tribunal that he was with Ojera on the fateful morning. “We were leaving the disco when two soldiers arrested Ojera. They said he was a rebel. They told us to leave or be arrested with him.â€
Basil Ojera, who filed the complaint on behalf of his grandson, told the tribunal that he was shocked when he was told that his grandson had been arrested for being a rebel. “I stay with this boy. How could he be a rebel when we eat together and sleep in the same compound?â€
After four sessions, the UPDF did not provide any response to these allegations. The army did confirm, however, that at one time Alfred Ojera was in its custody. On April 27, 2006, the human rights tribunal awarded the complainant Shs 5 million in compensation. It is not clear whether Ojera has received his compensation.
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