The police in Serere district are investigating the alleged disappearance of over 100 members of Christ’s disciples’ church, CDC, for a number of days.
“We are investigating the matter under a general inquiry file (GEF 002/2023) of the Serere central police station,” Oscar Gregg Ageca, the East Kyoga regional police spokesperson, said.
He revealed that the probe into the matter commenced following the reported trafficking of people to Ethiopia, allegedly to engage in missionary activities.
According to the police, preliminary investigations indicate that the church leadership under Reverend James Enyaku and Pastor Augustine Orago allegedly mobilised their followers by telling them that God had a plan for them to go to Ethiopia and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“All church members were convinced to contribute two million shillings each for processing travel documents and to provide one bag of flour, and consequently, believers sold off their properties such as cattle, land, and other household items to raise money,” Ageca said.
He added that those who cleared requirements for the trip were about 100, and they were allegedly led by the church leaders.
According to the police, the alleged missing persons are residents of Obululun village in Bugondo sub-county, while others are from Kidetok town council, Olwa parish in Pingire sub-county, and other parts of Serere district. The police are tracing other church remnants to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing church members.
Ageca, urges the families whose members are missing to remain calm.
“We want to assure the families and loved ones of the members of the church that they should not lose hope as the search is ongoing,” he said.
He also revealed that they would trace the location of the leadership and bring all the perpetrators to justice.