Three male students of St. Joseph’s college Layibi in Gulu district shot dead at a girl’s school.

By Correspondent 

The Ministry of Education has spoken out on circumstances under which three male students of St. Joseph’s college Layibi in Gulu district were shot dead at a girl’s school.

On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, ten students escaped from St. Joseph’s college Layibi in Gulu district at approximately 10pm when they were supposed to have been in the dormitories asleep.

They proceeded to Green Valley Girls Secondary School, which is located two and a half kilometers from St. Joseph’s College Layibi.

“Shortly after 10:00pm, the students’ resident warden received a call informing the school that some students from the school had been shot while trying to make entry into the neighboring girls school,” said the Ministry in a statement on Thursday night.

The resident warden immediately called the headteacher. The headteacher in turn instituted a roll call for all students in the school and upon concluding the exercise, the school established that ten students had escaped from school and were not in the dormitories as expected.

The Head teacher then proceeded to call the RDC in charge of security in the district to inform him of the information he had received. The RDC confirmed to the Head teacher that he was already aware of the incident and confirmed that indeed students of St. Joseph’s College Layibi had been shot at while trying to enter Green Valley Girls Secondary School and one student Brian Lubanga Kene in senior four had died from gunshot wounds.

The RDC also confirmed that a second student, also in senior four had also been shot but was injured in the leg and had been rushed to Gulu Referral Hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

The RDC further confirmed that three other students had been arrested and taken to Gulu Central Police Station.
The arrested students are Sam Okello (S4), Daniel Ogenrwoth (S4) and Brian Obol (S4).

Following the report by the RDC which accounted for five students only, five other students remained unaccounted for based on the record of students present from the roll call.

However, on Thursday, March 18, the five others unaccounted for sneaked back into the school as the Head teacher was addressing the students at an assemble convened at 6.00am.

These included: Jasper Ogenrwoth, Gerald Ocakachon, Arnold Opwonya, all of senior four and one Herbert Kakaum of S3. One other boy Emmanuel Okeny of senior four was found to have collapsed by the teachers’ quarters and had been bleeding profusely.

He was immediately rushed to Gulu Referral Hospital where he passed on at 7.30am. We understands that at 9.00am the school on Thursday held a requiem mass for the deceased students. A school board meeting was held within the school campus from where a more comprehensive report about the incident shall be communicated, said the Ministry.