Gulu University blames police after student is killed in dawn attack

Gulu University has blamed security agencies in Gulu City for the death a second-year student in a pre-dawn attack.

John Bosco Ngire, who was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education, majoring in English, was allegedly struck on the head with a stone by unknown assailants at about 4am on Saturday near the university’s faculty of agriculture and environment.

It remains unclear where Ngire was coming from at the time of the attack. The university’s public relations officer (PRO), James Ojok Onono, said on Sunday that repeated attacks on students reflected negligence by city security officials, despite the presence of police and military installations in the area.

Onono said the security has failed to address persistent insecurity targeting students living in hostels around its main campus in Laroo-Pece Division.

“I think if the city security team have been sleeping about the security of the students or thought it didn’t matter, they should wake up. We have the whole Fourth Division commander here, we have the resident city commissioner with all his powers, so they should understand that one of the economies of Gulu City is the students,” Onono said.

He said the university has more than 7,000 students who contribute directly and indirectly to Gulu City’s economy and deserve protection from security agencies.

Onono warned that the university could seek intervention from higher authorities, including Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and President Yoweri Museveni, if the insecurity persists.

“As the PRO of Gulu University, I am appealing to the President of Uganda and the Chief of Defence Forces to help us, not to turn a deaf ear to the issues of street-connected thugs in Gulu city. It seems it has defeated the security of Gulu city,” he said.

However, Onono urged students to take precautions, particularly when moving at night, advising them to travel in groups rather than alone. Although most lectures end at about 6pm, students are allowed to use the university library for reading and research until 10pm.

Peter Banya, deputy resident city commissioner in charge of Laroo-Pece Division, said no suspect had been arrested in connection with Ngire’s murder. Banya said investigations had begun and that security officials would provide further details later.

He attributed the resurgence of crime in Gulu city, including areas around the university, partly to mobility challenges affecting police and the offices of resident city commissioners.

“The biggest challenge the city is faced with is mobility; there is nothing else. The police have no vehicles, our office has no vehicle, so you find the coverage of operations is very small. You can’t move over a wide area and respond very fast like in the past when we had the vehicles,” Banya said.

He disclosed that his official vehicle had been recalled by the Office of the President after reaching the mileage limit for servicing, but had not been replaced.

Banya also urged students to exercise caution when moving late at night, saying personal security measures were important in reducing their exposure to attacks.

“The students should understand that they are students; security begins with you as a person. If you look at the time when that incident happened, what was that student doing outside? What was he doing, and where was he from? So, as a student, sometimes you need to be cautious,” he said.

Banya said security personnel would provide a major update on the incident on Monday and appealed to residents to remain calm.

Another killing

Ngire’s killing comes more than five months after Christopher Nyeko, a laboratory technician at Gulu University’s health centre, was murdered by unknown assailants on May 22, 2026, at about 5:40 am near St Peter’s Catholic Church.

Nyeko was killed a short distance from the university’s main campus while returning home after spending the night at a popular nightclub within the university campus.

The two killings have renewed concerns about the safety of students and staff around the institution, particularly during early-morning and late-night movements. By press time, Ngire’s body was still at the Gulu regional referral hospital mortuary.

The university’s top management, led by vice chancellor Prof. George Ladaah Openjuru, is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the latest killing and explore measures to address persistent insecurity affecting students.