‘Jesus Christ’ and 14 followers arrested while waiting for ‘end of the world’
A man who calls himself Jesus Christ has been arrested along with his followers in Lira District, Uganda.
Police said they arrested Alex Okello from his hideout in Barr Sub-county, Lira District, on Tuesday evening.
The suspect’s 14 followers had earlier been arrested after police raided his camp and found them waiting for the end of the world in October.
They had sold all their possessions and were camping there but Okello had gone missing before police traced him and arrested him as well.
“We have him and his followers here in our custody,” a detective handling the case at Lira Central Police Station told Daily Monitor on Wednesday.
“Right now, there is nothing good we can give you because as of yesterday (Tuesday) when the suspects were arrested, they were unwilling to talk,” the female detective said.
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She said during their morning parade on Wednesday, some suspects showed willingness to cooperate with the police.
“When we start taking their statements, we shall know what their intention was,” she said. “It is at this point that we shall be able to prefer charges against them.”
The North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr David Ongom Mudong, confirmed the arrest also saying: “On Tuesday when they were booked in at Lira Central Police Station, the suspects were not talking. Today (Wednesday), we want to interrogate them to ascertain their motives.”
Okello himself looked so poor and shabby, another police officer from the Records Section, said.
Earlier on Tuesday, police confirmed they had in their custody followers of Okello, at Barr Police Station.
The followers, who called themselves disciples of the man, had sold all their family possessions at his command, and were camped in Akwo village, Abunga Parish in Barr Sub-county purportedly waiting for the end of the world in October.