Police are holding a man who allegedly burnt three churches in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District. Reagan John Ngobi, a resident of Namugogo Division, is accused of torching St. Noah Catholic Church Kasokoso, Liberty Church of Christ International and God’s Tour Promising Church – all in Uganda – at the weekend.
According to the Independent Newspaper, The fire at St. Noah Catholic Church Kasokoso destroyed books, bibles, alter wine, curtains and plastic chairs values at Shs1.5 million. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect broke a window to access St. Noah Church.
He allegedly piled the items, doused them in petrol and set them ablaze. Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson, said that the suspect surrendered to police while brandishing three knives. According to Mr Owoyesigyire, the suspect confessed to have torched the churches because they preach the gospel of prosperity yet he’s poor.
Police say that the suspect used two litres of petrol and one litre of paraffin to accomplish his mission.
Mr Owoyesigyire said that the suspect told detectives that he carried the knives for self-defence in case anybody tried to stop him. According to Mr Owoyesigyire, the suspect will be subjected to a medical check-up to establish his mental state.
According to a police statement issued shortly after his arrest, Mr John Reagan Ngobi, 21, told them that he got angry because he has remained in poverty.
“That his poverty situation motivated him to buy two litres of petrol and one for paraffin which he used to burn church property with the intent to burn the churches completely to ashes. In his minds up to now since he left the fire burning in these respective churches, he still believes that the churches were completely burnt,” in part reads the statement from police.
The churches which were burnt include; St Noah Catholic Church Kasokoso under the leadership of Rev Father Mathias Mulumba Kalemba; Liberty church of Christ international for Born Agains under the leadership of Pastor Bageya Vincent; and God’s Tour promising church located in Kasokoso under Pastor Odinga Kadika Nandere.
Police said in a statement that:
“In one church, things like sofa set, alter wine, curtains, and church books whose value is not yet established, were burnt. In another church, clothes for the reverend, church books, alter wine, curtains and plastic chairs all valued at Shs1.5 million were put on fire with intent to burn the whole church but the fire did not spread further.”
The LC1 chairman Kasokoso, Mr Ali Mwanda told Daily Monitor in an interview that he was working with the police to make sure that more evidence is recovered.
“We are currently working with the police and we are at the scene of the crime. We hope that justice will be brought and the matter resolved shortly,” he said.
Mr. Ngobi reported himself at Kira Division, where he is being held armed with three brand new knives which he told police that they were for self-defence in case he was caught in action.
Police are yet to examine the culprit to establish whether he is in a sound mental state or search his home to recover any material of evidential value and profile the culprit with a view of knowing his background and previous criminal record.
