Police in Uganda have arrested a 30-year-old man who calls himself Jesus Christ along with his followers.
Alex Okello was smoked out of his hideout in Barr Sub-county in Lira District, on Tuesday evening, police said.
The suspect’s 14 followers who called themselves disciples had earlier been arrested after police raided his camp and found them waiting for the end of the world in October.
He had allegedly told his followers that he met God the creator who after a short discussion, sent him to announce the end of the world.
Okello had allegedly commanded them to sell all their family possessions and all had camped in Akwo village, Abunga Parish in Barr Sub-County waiting for the end of the world which they believed is in October.
“We have him and his followers here in our custody. Right now, there is nothing good we can give you because as of yesterday (Tuesday) when the suspects were arrested, they were unwilling to talk,” a detective handling the case at Lira Central Police Station told Daily Monitor on Wednesday.
Motive
She added that some suspects showed willingness to cooperate with the police.
“When we start taking their statements, we shall know what their intention was,” she said. “It is at this point that we shall be able to prefer charges against them.”
North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr David Ongom Mudong, confirmed the arrests while also saying that they will be interrogated to ascertain their motives.
“On Tuesday when they were booked in at Lira Central Police Station, the suspects were not talking. Today (Wednesday), we want to interrogate them to ascertain their motives,” he said.
A police officer from the records section said Okello was visibly poor and shabby.
‘Jesus Christ’ arrested
In November last year, a court in Luweero District remanded Solomon Ssemakula for calling himself ‘Jesus Christ.’
He was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Juliet Hatanga on charges of managing as well as belonging to an unlawful society contrary to the Penal code Act.
Solomon and his followers had claimed that they are not subject to any worldly authority including the police, local council administration and the president of Uganda.
Solomon asked the judge to stop addressing him by own name and call him Jesus lest he faces biblical plaques as written in the book of Revelations.
‘Jesus’ expressed discontentment with the way he was handled by police and demanded to be handled with dignity as the “The Son of God.”
