69 year old man arrested for marrying off a teenager in Pakwach

Terensio Owor, A 69 year old male adult who is a resident of Angumu cell in Panyimur Town Council Pakwach District , is in custody at Pakwach Police Station on allegations of wooing a 16 year old girl into marriage.

The Community liason officer of Pakwach District AIP Dominick Owinjuru , confirmed the incident on Wednesday this week on a local radio , adding that he will be arraigned in court so soon.

” The case was registered at Pakwach central police station days ago by the girls relatives who wanted him arrested . We later apprehended him to help in the investigation “. Owinjuru explained.

The news triggered torrent of condemnations from Many members of the public in greater Nebbi , most of whom have accused some influential people of using money to destroy young girls.

The news come against the back drop of a glaring report of young girls abandoning studies for marriage , painting a down beat picture of the future of girl child.

In 2021, Alur Kingdom reported that the three districts of Pakwach, Nebbi and Zombo had over 10, 000 cases of teenage girls that were either married off or impregnated.

It’s against that ground that Alur Kingdom has been for years preaching the gospel against dangers of early marriage and teenage pregnancies , with community being called upon to expose and report some of the sensitive cases to authorities for action.

In 2023, a total of 12, 771 defilement cases were reported to police compared to 12, 580 Cases reported in 2022 according to 2023 Uganda Police annual crime report .