By Eumu Emmanuel
A series of inexplicable fires has ravaged Agweng village in Atira Parish, Ogwete Sub-county, Otuke District, reducing 13 grass-thatched houses and a local Pentecostal church to ashes. The wave of destruction, which began on Saturday, December 7, 2024, has thrown the community into disarray, with fingers pointed at a new resident, Ocege Emmanuel, a farmer from Apapai in Kalaki District, who is accused of harboring a troubled past.
The fires first consumed the homes of Ocege, his uncle Ojolo Michael, and a neighbor who had sold him land earlier this year. On Sunday, Angaro CDC Pentecostal Church, where Ocege reportedly sought refuge in prayer, was also engulfed in flames, leaving residents reeling from the strange events.
Residents allege that the 30–40-year-old Itesot man has brought chaos since his arrival in Agweng earlier this year. Alfred Opaka, the LCII chairman of Atira Parish, claimed that similar fires had occurred in Kalaki, where 37 houses burned before Ocege moved to Otuke.
Moses Ogwang, the LCII chairman of Ogwete Parish, added a chilling dimension to the narrative, suggesting that the fires could be linked to a man from Masindi District whose wife allegedly eloped with Ocege. The man has reportedly been threatening Ocege with dire consequences if his wife is not returned.
“Every house he enters eventually burns,” said Omiji Patrick Oluge, a resident of Atira Parish. “It seems he is cursed.”
The situation took an ominous turn when Angaro CDC Pentecostal Church, where Ocege prayed for deliverance, was reduced to ashes shortly after his visit.
Authorities are now grappling with the mystery, as police investigations are underway. However, the Resident District Commissioner of Otuke, George Abdul, declined to comment, citing his official leave.
The fires have left three families homeless and the entire community in fear. Community leaders, including Opio Martin, have called for calm and urged a thorough police investigation to uncover the truth behind the persistent fires and dispel rumors of witchcraft.
As Ocege’s whereabouts remain unknown, the residents of Agweng live under the shadow of the mysterious flames, anxiously waiting for answers and hoping for peace to return to their village.