The High Court in Soroti has ordered the production of CCTV footage from two institutions after lawyers representing six people accused of murdering seven-year-old Joan Faith Apio argued that the recordings could provide evidence in support of their defence.
Justice Boniface Wamala directed Soroti Regional Referral Hospital and Pride Bank’s Soroti branch to produce CCTV footage recorded on February 5, 2025, the day the Primary One pupil at Jozan Nursery and Primary School was found dead.
The six accused are school directors Joseph Okedi and Suzan Vivian Ariokot, headteacher James Edoket, school cook Valentine Opio, school matron Osula Adong, and police officer John Bosco Obotol. They all face murder charges, which they have denied.
The court had earlier ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require the accused to enter their defence.
While giving her testimony, Ariokot told the court that she was at Pride Bank applying for a loan top-up when the incident occurred. She said she only learned about Apio’s death after receiving a phone call from her husband.
She further testified that following her arrest on February 11, 2025, police confiscated three mobile phones that she said were connected to CCTV cameras at her business premises, preventing her from accessing recordings she believes could support her defence.
Ariokot also alleged that her rights were violated while in police custody, claiming she was subjected to torture during detention. She maintained throughout her testimony that she had no involvement in the child’s death and insisted that CCTV footage from Pride Bank would confirm she was at the bank when the incident occurred.
Okedi also asked the court to compel Soroti Regional Referral Hospital to provide CCTV footage from the same day. He argued that the recordings could challenge the testimony of a prosecution witness who claimed he described the incident as an accident upon arriving at the hospital.
According to Okedi, he rushed Apio to the hospital immediately after pupils and school matron Osula Adong alerted him that the child had been found unconscious inside the school’s latrine.
The prosecution opposed both requests, arguing that the defence had ample time to obtain the footage before the defence hearing commenced. State prosecutors contended that introducing the applications at this stage was likely to delay the trial and prolong the suffering of the victim’s family.
However, Justice Wamala ruled that the accused were entitled to a fair opportunity to present their defence. He ordered both Pride Bank and Soroti Regional Referral Hospital to submit CCTV footage covering February 5, 2025, without delaying the ongoing proceedings.
The judge said allowing the defence access to the recordings would not prejudice the case and directed that the remaining defence witnesses continue testifying as the footage is being obtained.
So far, only Ariokot and Okedi have completed presenting their defence. The remaining four accused are expected to testify when the hearing resumes. The trial was adjourned to August 6, 2026.
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