By Our Reporter

SOROTI – A suspected murder weapon believed to have been used in the killing of six-year-old Joan Faith Apio was on Friday formally produced before the High Court in Soroti as the trial of eight suspects continued before Justice Boniface Wamala.

The knife, recovered during police investigations, was tendered as a prosecution exhibit in a courtroom filled with family members, journalists, members of the public and legal teams representing both the State and the accused persons.

Senior police detective Deputy Inspector of Police (D/IP) Onume Odot, attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Soroti East Division Police Station, testified that the suspected murder weapon was recovered from a pit latrine at Jozan Nursery and Primary School, where investigators believe it had been disposed of after the killing.

Odot, who told the court he has served in the CID for about 26 years, said he was among the lead investigators assigned to the case. His duties included interviewing suspects, recording witness statements, conducting searches, profiling suspects and collecting exhibits.

The detective further produced a carton containing sharpener knives that investigators recovered from the school's canteen during the probe. According to his testimony, the carton originally contained 12 knives in four colours—red, blue, green and yellow—with three knives of each colour.

He told the court that investigators established one green knife was missing from the carton. Police suspect the missing knife was used in the murder of Joan Faith Apio before it was allegedly discarded in the school's pit latrine, where it was later recovered.

The court also heard that detectives examined the school's procurement records as part of their investigations.

According to Odot, the school's matron, Osula Adongo, prepared a shopping list for the school director before supplies were purchased. He testified that the list did not include sharpener knives.

However, the detective alleged that when the school director returned from shopping, he brought additional items that were not on the approved procurement list, including the sharpener knives that later became a key focus of the police investigation.

Justice Wamala occasionally referred to documents before him as the witness testified, while lawyers representing both the prosecution and the defence closely followed the proceedings and examined the exhibits presented before court.

Joan Faith Apio, a Primary One pupil at Jozan Nursery and Primary School, was reported missing on February 5, 2025. Her body was later recovered from a pit latrine within the school premises, a tragedy that sparked nationwide outrage and renewed calls for improved child safety and accountability in schools.

Eight suspects are facing trial in connection with the case. They include the school's head teacher James Edoket, director Joseph Okedi, co-director Susan Vivian Ariokot, matron Osula Adongo, cook Valentine Opio, police officer John Bosco Obotol and two minors.

The accused persons have denied the charges. The trial continues, with the prosecution expected to call additional witnesses as it seeks to prove its case.