Defence witnesses withdraw from Joan Apio murder trial over fear

Soroti, Uganda | URN | The trial of six people accused of murdering Joan Faith Apio, a Primary One pupil at Jozan Nursery and Primary School, took another turn on Friday after the accused dropped all their planned defence witnesses, citing fears for the witnesses’ safety and livelihoods.

The accused instead told the Soroti High Court that they will rely on CCTV footage and other documentary evidence in their defence. Justice Boniface Wamala, the resident judge of the Soroti High Court, granted the defence a final adjournment until Monday, August 10, 2026, to file and present all their remaining evidence.

“This is the last time I am adjourning court regarding the hearing of this matter. Go and prepare very well and present the necessary evidence that you say you have on Monday,” Justice Wamala ruled.

The six accused are school directors Joseph Okedi and Suzan Vivian Ariokot Okedi, headteacher James Edoket, school cook Valentine Opio, school matron Osula Adong, and police officer John Bosco Obotol. They all deny murdering Apio, who was found dead in a school latrine on February 5, 2025.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish a case to answer, prompting the accused to begin their defence. Initially, Ariokot, Okedi and Obotol informed the court that they intended to call witnesses to testify on their behalf.

They also sought to rely on CCTV footage from Pride Bank, which they say shows Ariokot processing a 50 million Shillings loan at the time of the incident, as well as footage from her shop in Soroti City to support her alibi.

The defence further sought CCTV footage from Soroti Regional Referral Hospital to challenge prosecution testimony by Jane Namudu, who told the court that Okedi and three others brought Apio to the hospital while allegedly claiming she had been involved in an accident. However, when the matter came up for the presentation of defence witnesses on Friday,

defence counsel Francis Ajuun told the court that the witnesses had withdrawn after expressing fear of possible repercussions.

“We had the opportunity to interact with the witnesses yesterday after court, and they expressed fear and are unable to come and give evidence. As such, we will not be able to have any witnesses,” Ajuun told the court.

He said the witnesses feared public backlash that could threaten their employment and had even inquired whether they could testify in chambers. Following consultations, the defence decided to abandon witness testimony and instead concentrate on obtaining CCTV evidence from Pride Bank, Soroti Regional Referral Hospital and Ariokot’s shop.

Ajuun told the court that both the hospital and Pride Bank had been served with court orders and had agreed to retrieve any available footage through their information technology teams. “We served the Referral Hospital, and they asked us to wait. Pride Bank has also requested us to wait for their IT specialists to check the footage before it is delivered to court if it is found,” he said.

Defence lawyer Joseph Odong, who appeared on behalf of Obotol’s lead counsel, Muminu Magonu, also informed the court that the witnesses they had approached declined to testify for similar reasons.

“The witnesses have told us that their jobs are at risk if they come to testify in court. Obotol will not call any witnesses, and we now leave it to the court to decide on the evidence Obotol has made,” Odong said.

Justice Wamala sought direct confirmation from the accused before allowing the witnesses to be withdrawn. Ariokot, Okedi and Obotol each confirmed that they had abandoned plans to call witnesses and would instead rely on CCTV footage and other evidence in their defence. The case resumes on Monday, August 10, 2026, when the defence is expected to present its final evidence before the court.

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