Police on Saturday returned two suspects in the alleged murder of 23-year-old Gulu University student John Bosco Ngire to a crime scene to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding his killing.
The suspects, identified as Gerald Omara, alias Torach, and Ambrose Rom, alias Geng, both aged 18, were escorted to the scene in Agwee Cell, Agwee Ward, Pece-Laroo Division, Gulu City following their arrest.
In a statement issued on Saturday, police said the suspects arrests followed investigations and intelligence leads by the territorial police in Aswa West Region, working in collaboration with other security agencies.
The crime scene reconstruction involved police crime-scene investigators and other security agencies, including the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Police Crime Intelligence and the Internal Security Organisation (ISO). It was coordinated by Gulu City Central Police Commander Superintendent of Police (SP) Joseph Karugaba.
The suspects reportedly demonstrated how Ngire was allegedly attacked repeatedly with a hammer at dawn on October 10, 2026. Ngire’s lifeless body was discovered by the roadside in Agwee Cell later that morning.
Police said the suspects provided detailed accounts of how the killing of Ngire, a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education majoring in English was carried out.
According to police reports, detectives during the crime scene visit also recovered several exhibits believed to be of evidential value, including a pair of shoes belonging to the deceased and a hammer suspected to have been used in the attack.
The shoes were reportedly recovered from the family home of one of the suspects in the presence of Agwee Cell LC I Chairperson Wilfred Okot.
Gulu University Communications Officer James Ojok Onono welcomed the arrests, describing them as significant progress in the investigation. He commended the security agencies for their efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Onono also commended the Inspector General of Police, Abas Byakagaba, for dispatching two vehicles to Gulu to strengthen the operational capacity of Gulu Central Police Station and Pece-Laroo Division.
However, he said the university hoped to receive additional security support, including an anticipated vehicle for the university police station, to strengthen operations and protect students and the wider university community.
Onono also called on security agencies to pursue investigations into the May 2026 murder of the university’s former staff member, Chris Nyeko, a laboratory technician, saying the institution had not received an update on the case.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns over student safety following a series of attacks around the university and neighbouring student hostels.
Last week, university management and security agencies convened an emergency security meeting with students at the main campus to discuss measures to address the recurring attacks.
During the meeting, Vice-Chancellor Professor George Ladaah Openjuru said those responsible for the attacks should be pursued and brought to justice, while cautioning that the university did not support violence as a solution.
Openjuru also urged students to avoid walking alone at night and called for hostel owners to strengthen security measures.
Gulu Resident City Commissioner Ambrose Onoria promised that the Police had promised to deliver a patrol vehicle for the University police station by November this year to ease security patrol at night hours.
Police have however indicated that they intend to prefer murder charges against the suspects under case reference CRB 521/2026 upon completion of investigations.