Overview:
Gladys Gune, 16, a senior two student, and Gloria Anzoa, 14, a primary three pupil, were reportedly attacked by unknown assailants who later set their bodies on fire between the night of April 17 and the early morning of April 18
Lux Primary and Secondary School has been closed following following the gruesome murder of two female students inside their dormitory.
The school is located in Labora Central Village, Labora sub-county, Omoro district. Gladys Gune, 16, a senior two student, and Gloria Anzoa, 14, a primary three pupil, were reportedly attacked by unknown assailants who later set their bodies on fire between the night of April 17 and the early morning of April 18. Both girls hailed from Adjumani district.
Illegal dormitory, security lapses
According to Rev Vincent Oceng Ocen, the school was officially closed last Friday to allow for thorough investigations. He revealed that the dormitory where the incident occurred was being illegally operated, without clearance or inspection by the Omoro district education department to ensure it was safe for learners’ accommodation.
Preliminary findings indicate that the assailants broke into the girls’ dormitory, killed the girls, and set the room on fire, burning their bodies beyond recognition. Investigations established that the murdered girls were the only female boarders who stayed at the school during the Easter holiday.
The other five male boarders had returned home for the break, making a total of just seven learners in the school’s boarding section. According to David Ongom Mudong, spokesperson for Aswa West Police Region, a key suspect has been arrested and is being held at Omoro Central police station.
The suspect reportedly confessed to the crime. Among those currently in custody are the acting school director, school watchman and the chairperson of a boda boda riders’ association in Labora trading centre.
Police have since returned to the school to reconstruct the crime scene, based on information obtained from the suspects. Francis Ojok, Labora sub-county chairperson, revealed that local authorities were unaware that the school operated a boarding section.
The school had only been registered as a private day school, and no matron was present on the night of the incident; only one security guard was on duty. Ojok explained that the assailants likely breached the school’s security by first passing through the secondary section’s chain-link fence, then scaling the perimeter wall into the primary section, where the girls were sleeping.
They reportedly broke into the living area, then used a heavy stone to smash through a wall leading directly to the girls’ sleeping quarters. The attackers then brutally beat the girls, broke their necks, and set their mattresses and belongings on fire.
“The postmortem shows the girls were beaten on their heads and had their necks broken,” Ojok confirmed.
The school matron remains at large, and her phone has been unreachable since the incident. The shocking murders have sparked intense debate about student safety in boarding schools across Omoro district.
By press time, Omoro district security committee had convened a special meeting to address the situation. Lux Primary and Secondary School — now in its second year of operation has a total enrollment of 88 learners, including 30 in nursery, 15 in primary (P.1–P.4) and 43 in secondary (S.1–S.3).