The proprietor of Jozan Nursery and Primary School, Suzan Vivian Ariokot, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the ritual murder of a 5-year-old pupil, Joan Faith Apio, in February 2025.
Ariokot’s husband, Joseph Okedi, and police officer John Bosco Obotol were also convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 and 45 years in prison respectively by Soroti High court resident judge Boniface Wamala.
Apio was killed at the school on February 5, 2025, in what the prosecution described as a planned ritual sacrifice motivated by material gain. Two juveniles, identified in court as A6 and A7, were central to the prosecution’s case.
The two had earlier pleaded guilty, were convicted and discharged, and subsequently testified against the adult accused. A6 told court that on the day of the murder, she encountered Ariokot near the school latrine and was instructed to bring one of the twins to meet Obotol, who was standing outside the school fence.
After bringing Apio, A6 said Ariokot took the child into the school latrine. She told court that she hid in the boys’ latrine after hearing Apio scream. According to A6, Ariokot later ordered her not to tell anyone about what had happened and threatened to kill her like Apio.
A6 further testified that Ariokot sent her to the school canteen to buy a cutter knife. After she returned with the knife, Ariokot allegedly used it to cut Apio’s throat and remove tissue from the child’s neck, which she placed in a black polythene bag and handed to Obotol.
A7, Ariokot and Okedi’s daughter, also testified that her mother and Obotol returned to the school later that evening and that Ariokot confessed to killing Apio. The prosecution also presented two postmortem reports, DNA evidence and a green cutter knife recovered from the crime scene.
Justice Wamala found the evidence insufficient to connect the school cook, Valentine Opio; matron Osula Adong; and head teacher James Edoket to the murder. The three were acquitted.
The prosecution asked the court to impose life imprisonment on the three convicted persons, describing the murder as calculated and particularly gruesome.
State prosecutor Adero told court that parents entrusted their children to the school expecting them to be safe, but the accused had instead turned the institution into a scene of murder.
She further argued that Okedi had purchased the cutter knife used in the killing and that the offence was committed for ritual purposes and material gain. The defence lawyers, Francis Ajum and Joseph Odong, asked for lenient sentences, arguing that the convicts had shown remorse, had no previous convictions and had families to support.
Justice Wamala described the case as a “rare case of the rare”, warranting either the death penalty or life imprisonment because of the planned nature of the murder and the circumstances in which the child was killed.
The judge said the postmortem evidence showed that Apio suffered a deep cut to the neck in which the trachea, oesophagus and major blood vessels were severed. Her death was attributed to excessive bleeding.
He emphasized the unimaginable gruesomeness of the act, particularly as it was committed by a mother. According to the first postmortem report, the deceased had a deep cut on the neck, with the trachea, esophagus, and blood vessels completely severed.
The fracture of a bone connected to the muscle was noted, and the cause of death was excessive bleeding.
“The four muscles that assist in swallowing were missing, and parts of the bone connecting the neck to the ear were absent. The upper part of the trachea was missing as well. The vessels that transport blood to the heart had been separated,” Justice Wamala stated.
Justice Wamala said the injuries demonstrated the “horrific and inhumane” nature of the attack and criticised Ariokot for her role in the killing.
“The question is how she managed to slice a person’s neck and remove such tissues in one go. Was this her first time doing such an act, and if not caught, would this have been her last?” Justice Wamala questioned.
The judge also found Obotol’s conduct particularly aggravating, noting that he was a police officer and had been present at the school despite not being deployed there.
According to the judge, Obotol provided the cutter knife and polythene bag and received the material removed from the child’s throat.
Justice Wamala further said Obotol attempted to interfere with the investigation by asking police to allow Okedi to return to a shop, although evidence showed the premises belonged to Ariokot.
Regarding Okedi, the judge found that although he did not actively participate in the killing, his involvement in planning the crime was significant.
“As the director of the school and a father to young children, it was grossly inappropriate for you to allow participation in such an evil act,” Justice Wamala said.
The judge said the murder had caused fear and trauma among Apio’s family and the wider community, and that child sacrifice should have no place in Uganda.
After deducting the period spent on remand, Obotol will serve 43 years, five months and 29 days, while Okedi will serve 33 years, five months and 29 days.