RELIGION, LIFESTYLE: A Catholic priest in Arua Diocese has been dragged to police by a woman accusing him of neglecting a child he fathered.
The mother of the child identified as Florence Idede, 24, a resident of Onduparaka trading centre in Arua City reported a case of child neglect against the priest at Arua Central Police Station vide SD REF 45/22/02/2021.
The accused Fr Edward Eguma is the curate of Nyadri Town Parish in Maracha district and according to Idede, he impregnated her, extended support for a while, and later dumped her with an 18-month-old boy.
Idede a senior three student of Logiri Girls Secondary School said she dropped out of school due to lack of school fees and Eguma approached her grandfather to offer help.
“I lived with the priest in the parish and he later asked me to sleep in a separate room from where he forcefully had sex with me on several occasions,” Idede said.
“On realising I got pregnant, Fr Eguma decided to rent a house for me in Onduparaka trading centre for the last two years. However, for the last two months, he has since abandoned his responsibility and stopped paying rent and providing money for feeding, treatment, and other basic needs,” she added.
According to Idede, the priest asked the landlord to evict her from the house but the landlord advised her to report the matter to Police.
West Nile region child and family protection unit officer Jimmy Anguyo confirmed the case of child neglect registered against Eguma and said the Police is investigating the matter swiftly in order for him to take up responsibility.
When Eguma was contacted on Wednesday evening, he demanded to know the role of a journalist in the case, asking if the journalist is a Police officer, or CID officer investigating the case.
Even after it was made clear to Eguma that the matter had been registered at Police and exposed to the media, he said he said the wrong person was contacted but however blamed the Police for disclosing the matter to the media without discussing the matter with him.
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