Police have arrested Lira City Inspector of Schools Tom Ronald Omara and a businessman accused of threatening headteachers with sanctions over purported UNEB examination registration irregularities.
Police have arrested Lira City Inspector of Schools Tom Ronald Omara and a businessman over allegations that they extorted millions of shillings from headteachers by threatening them with sanctions over purported examination registration irregularities.
The suspects, identified as Omara and Ambrose Okot, also known as William Musinguzi, 42, were arrested on October 11 in a joint operation involving police and the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
North Kyoga Regional Police spokesperson SP Patrick Jimmy Okema said the suspects allegedly targeted headteachers of primary and secondary schools across Lira City, falsely claiming that their institutions had irregularities involving the registration of private candidates for forthcoming UNEB examinations.
According to police, the alleged scheme involved a coordinated approach in which Omara would first contact a targeted headteacher and warn them that UNEB's head of legal affairs would call regarding the purported irregularities.
“The second suspect would then contact the same headteacher and threaten severe administrative and legal consequences unless they cooperated directly with the inspector of schools,” Okema said in a statement.
He added that the threats were allegedly intended to intimidate headteachers into paying substantial sums of money to avoid the purported sanctions.
Schools identified among those allegedly affected include Olaka Primary School, Bishop Tarantino Primary School, also known as Bishop KAMI, and Lango College, among others.
Police said investigations began after an intelligence report was received and the matter was registered at Ntinda Police Station in Kampala.
Okema said a UNEB investigative team travelled to Lira City on October 11 and coordinated with local police following investigations involving communication data analysis, technical tracking and field inquiries.
“During questioning, Mr Okot reportedly admitted to participating in the alleged scheme and claimed that the SIM card registered in the name of Musinguzi William, which was allegedly used to make the deceptive calls, had been provided to him by Mr Omara,” Okema said.
Police said investigators were continuing to examine the evidence to establish the respective roles of the suspects and corroborate information obtained during questioning.
“Both suspects were subsequently escorted to Kampala under police custody for further investigations and possible legal proceedings in coordination with UNEB investigators and Ntinda Police Station,” Okema said.
The Town Clerk of Lira City has also been briefed on the developments, including the alleged involvement of a city staff member, for administrative awareness and any necessary action in accordance with established procedures.
Police and UNEB said investigations were ongoing to identify other headteachers who may have been targeted, record additional statements, trace the alleged proceeds and gather further evidence to support the case.
They urged headteachers and other members of the public who may have been approached, threatened or defrauded in connection with the alleged scheme to report to the nearest police station or UNEB office.
The arrests come amid efforts to safeguard the integrity of national examinations and prevent individuals from exploiting schools through threats of administrative or legal action.