October 13, 2025 – In a chilling display of communal rage and unresolved grief, a group of distraught youths in Adjumani District, northern Uganda, exhumed the body of a recently buried man and abandoned it at the doorstep of a suspect’s family home.

The brazen act, which has sparked fears of escalating tribal tensions, is now under intense police scrutiny as authorities scramble to restore calm in the volatile region.

The incident unfolded on October 12, 2025, around 7:00 a.m., in Iringa Village, Iringa Parish, Dzaipi Sub-county. According to a statement from the Adjumani Central Police Station (CPS), the youths—fueled by what they perceived as a grave insult—targeted the burial site of Ngavure Williston, known locally as Siesa. Williston had been laid to rest just one week prior, but his funeral rites were marred by the absence of the family of a key suspect in what police describe as a related ongoing case.

“Distressed that the family of the suspect did not participate in the funeral rites,” the police report detailed, the group “forcibly removed the body and dumped it at the home of Alumai Godfrey, the father of one of the suspects.” The coffin, containing Williston’s decomposing remains, was left unceremoniously in Alumai’s compound, where it quickly became a grim symbol of the village’s festering wounds.

Eyewitnesses described a scene of pandemonium, with the youths chanting slogans of retribution amid the early morning mist. Local leaders, including the LC3 chairperson, were caught off-guard by the mob’s determination. “It was like a storm hit the village,” one anonymous villager told reporters. “The pain of losing Siesa was raw, but this… this crossed a line no one thought possible.”

Police from Adjumani CPS responded with swift and decisive action. Armed officers, backed by community mediators, confronted the group in a tense standoff that could have spiraled into violence. Despite initial resistance, the situation was de-escalated enough for law enforcement to secure the site. The decomposed body was carefully transported to Adjumani Mortuary, where it now awaits instructions from local elders on proper reburial protocols.

The case has been officially logged under Reference: ADJ CRB 603/2025, with investigations focusing on charges of threatening violence and interference with a burial. Two suspects have been named in the probe: Maruru and Mande, both allegedly linked to the underlying dispute that ignited the youths’ fury. Details of the original conflict remain sparse, but sources hint at deep-seated family feuds possibly intertwined with land or inheritance issues common in the region.

In a bid to prevent further unrest, the Uganda Police Force has deployed its Field Force Unit (FFU) to the area. The unit, known for its role in high-risk community interventions, is conducting patrols and spearheading policing initiatives aimed at rebuilding trust. “Our priority is peace,” emphasized SP Asea Collins, spokesperson for the North West Nile Region Police. In his official statement, Collins urged restraint: “We call upon the community to maintain peace and cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities as we work towards a peaceful resolution.”

This exhumation comes at a precarious time for Adjumani, a district already strained by refugee influxes from neighboring South Sudan and sporadic outbreaks of communal violence. Elders from Iringa Village have convened emergency meetings, invoking traditional reconciliation rites to heal the rift. Yet, as the mortuary holds Williston’s remains in limbo, questions linger: Will justice—or vengeance—prevail?

Residents are watching closely, hoping this macabre episode serves as a turning point rather than a prelude to deeper division. Police assure the public that arrests are imminent, but in the shadow of a desecrated grave, trust in the process hangs by a thread.

Written by

Andrew Ogwang

Andrew Ogwang is a dedicated Ugandan journalist based in the Northern Region, with a focus on economic reporting, current affairs, and social issues affecting the country. Ogwang has contributed to several local media outlets, including print and digital platforms like The Northern Press, where he has covered topics ranging from policy developments and community stories to investigative pieces on development challenges in Uganda.