“As thousands of sons and daughters of Acholi and Lango suffered turbulence and many have gone to way of last no return “Pagak”, Prof. Okello Oculi buried in Gudu Cemetery in Abuja, Nigeria. Many are still to follow suit including Museveni’s comrade Eng. Akena Pajok.”
The very tragic event which Uganda underwent during the 30 years must be seen to pass with leaders of my generation Wod Okello Apollo Lawoko lamented in his book as a re-announced born Ugandans adopted Nigeria citizenship Prof. Okello Oculi has borne the brunt to die in excite including hundred thousand Acholi and Lango communities’ litter globally.
The book abstract is taken from The Dungeons of Nakasero book by Wod Okello Lawoko.
“The painful experience of Amin’s Uganda tyranny and the last journey to Pagak, Prof. Okello Oculi, the celebrated scholar, poet, and intellectual lived 48 years in Nigeria and was not able to return home, not because of his choice, but partly to the turbulence of Idi Amin.
Okumu Livingstone Langol highlight book title “
The Dungeons of Nakasero, a painful experience of Amin’s Uganda author by Wodokello Lawoko and a brief account of Prof. Okello Oculi written by J J Otim Lucama in Uganda Leading, the Daily Monitor.
“Twon Gwok pe Ngeco ma bor”
GULU CITY-UGANDA August 24, 2025.
(By Okumu Livingstone Langol our Correspondent)
Prof. Okello Oculi left Uganda in 1977, and Apollo Wodokello Lawoko too also left Uganda in 1977, both were feared for their lives one of the examples of the many thousand Ugandans who have fled, “the world most beautiful city of Kampala due to turbulence to western world as majority of them are based United Kingdom housing Acholi/Lango elders, most of them fled both Amin’s tyranny and President Museveni Oligarchy regime, they will never touch Uganda soil again as Prof. Oculi did.
“Prof Okello Oculi an academic export to Nigeria that Uganda forgot to tap his intellectual expatriates was laid to rest in Gudu Cemetery this week, not in his village Dokolo, Uganda, but in adopted home, Nigeria where his wife, Deborah, children Sembene, Sophia, and Bashir live.
According to Otim Lucima piece of article in, “the Monitor page3, of Thursday, August 21, 2025. He wrote.” He wrote Global tributes to honor the remarkable life and legacy of Prof. Okello Oculi, an African giant intellectual, literary and political giant, poured in yesterday. A service of songs through music, and shared memories follows today; with the final funereal services at. The Cathedral Church of the Advent, Life camp in Abuja tomorrow.
The celebrated scholar, poet and intellectual lived for 48 years in Nigeria and was not able to return home, not because of his choice, but the turbulence at home. Prof. Oculi left Uganda under a cloud of killing orchestrated by the military dictatorship of Idi Amin.” J. J Otim Lucima wrote.
The Book of The Dungeons of Nakasero page 7 Nipping genocide in the bud carried out by the then Governor Alli Fad hour’s temporary change of hobbies, page 107 the last chapter Wodokello Lawoko books says, one day at the end of May 1974, the Governor called the Provincial Team and Planning Committee to his office for what was dubbed, “An urgent meeting”. Although I was in Gulu at the time, I was surprised that the Governor had not informed me in advance about the meeting.
He normally informed me in advance of the meeting so as to ensure the presence of journalists and reporters, when Fadhul arrived at the Governor’s boardroom that day, he was obviously angry about something. The Governor told us that he had received some intelligence reports, which indicated that some members of the Provincial team were not being sincere to him. He then asked an intelligence officer called Ali to read out a statement.
According to the said intelligence report, an army of Acholi men carrying spears, machetes, bow and arrows and home-made guns was preparing to attack the Provincial capital of Gulu as preparation to strike to overthrow the military government of min. The Uganda Army had therefore been put on alert and would grant that the Acholi effort failed, after promising to deal the Acholi a devastating blow, the Governor stormed out of the meeting.
I would normally have walked with the governor to his office after such a meeting to evaluate the necessary, if I did not do so on this issue, issuing a press statement on the items discussed. I did not do so on this occasion. I went straight to my own office and was contemplating my next move, when I saw Fadhul walking toward my office, escorted by a team of security men.
The very notorious operatives not usually not in the company of the Governor namely, Ali, Bashir, and Onziga walked with him on this occasion. To many civil servants, this was reminiscent of the arrival of security personnel when they took away people who subsequently disappeared for good. Because of this, several civil servants in the neighboring office took to their knees.
Fadhul entered my office without knocking, gestured to his guards to remain at the secretary’s desk, and sat himself down in an empty chair. Upon his asking why I had avoided his office that day, I told the Governor that since the issues mentioned at the meeting were very sensitive, I had planned to note/ jot down my thoughts before coming to him. I was quite frank in telling the Governor, I was surprised that the Governor said that we needed to be careful about the sources of our information. He had, I went on, already established himself as the foremost Governor in Uganda, initiating development projects and mobilizing people to increase agricultural production.
He, therefore ran the risk of playing into the hands of the envious when he now turned around and accused the same subject he had reported been mobilizing, so well, of being anti-government. I suggested that a meeting of elders from the district should be called to discuss the problem. Fadhul looked back at me for a while, smiling slightly and slowly nodding his head. I knew that he was happy again and agreed with the plan, Fadhul walked back to his office and the army of security men followed.
Lwit poto ipii
Shortly afterward, I quietly walked out of my office and went to my hotel room, that same evening, I made sure that a news item about Fadhul’s visit to a government-owned mechanized farm near Gulu the previous day was broadcast over national radio. In the report, he was said to have praised the efforts of the officers in carrying out maintenance of government implements. There was no mention of the Provincial Team meeting. In a curious twist that made one wonder about the origins and motives of the ominous intelligence report read to us.
Amin was on radio the following day praising Fadhul’s and calling on others to emulate him. Amin went on to warn that those Governors who could not manage the superior task of running a province would be sacked.
I set out that same evening to seek out those Acholi elders still living in Gulu and Kitgum with the aim of genocide was obviously impending. After consultations with Bishop Luwum, we agreed to quickly mobilized the relevant people for an initial meeting to be held at St. Philip Cathedral. Immediately after briefing Luwum, I returned to my hotel. Meanwhile, the clergyman dispatched his assistant with a summons to the elders, that evening, while I chatted with the Governor and his men at the Acholi Inn, our messages were doing mileage around the districts of Gulu and Kitgum, delivering the invitation.
Together with Bishop Luwum, we had selected Chief Lasito Okech, Reverend Alipayo Latigo, Mr. Daniel and Mr. Modikayo Onek. They were all men of integrity who we expected would not shy away from such crucial responsibility. We gathered at the residence of the Bishop near Customs Corner the following evening. All the men had responded positively to our call and were present in person.
We recalled that back in 1971 when many people in Gulu and Kitgum were massacred, Amin had gone on national radio claiming that the Acholi had organized armed resistance to his military government. It was therefore imperative upon us to devise a way of nipping this one in the bud. None of the elders knew anything about an organized uprising being planned among their people.
They were all men of education who would have laughed off the idea of challenging a modern army using the primitive weaponry described in the intelligence report. Moreover, Okech was a veteran of the Second World War II who had seen modern warfare, I therefore suggested to them an approach which I felt would work in the mind of the new Governor who had developed some respect for me, which was based on the success of ideas that I had urged him to implement.
Our best strategy, I proposed, would, therefore, be an attempt at turning around the rumors and speculation contained in the intelligence report and make them look like they were directed at discrediting or including elders from the districts of Lango that would meet Governor Fadhul.
In keeping with the spirits of that generation of elders, reasoning that the Lango also agreed to this probably used the same excuse to kill their people if it worked on the Acholi. Including among delegations booked to meet with the Governor. Therefore, were the Lango elders Chief Elia Olet, Jago Peter Wacha, Mr. Erinayo Okullu and Mr. Tom Otim. The message of give unto Fadhul that which belongs to Fadhul was accepted by all members of the delegation.
Our Correspondent commentary
Nipping the genocide played by the book author Wodokello Lawoko right from 1974, the Uganda State Research Bureau intelligence were followed event closely as Archbishop Luwum and Wodokello Lawoko were making prop up counter intelligence against Amin’s planned genocide that later led to arrests of both of them, and later ended life of Archbishop Janani Luwum.
The attempt by Wodokello Lawoko, part of a pre-emptive approach standing in the theory of pleasing God and dealing evil earned being for 198 days incommunicado. In fact (Wodokello Lawoko 1994-2025 examples of playing Gwono onin theory of hide and seek game) led to many bloodsheds of innocent souls. Would he take more courage to dare the evil regime immediately with the backing of Uganda Army who were killed in cold blood by using foreign media early on, the tyranny Amin’s regime would have not lasted long?
Wodokello Lawoko clandestine under covered method was excellent, it united Acholi and Lango bloodwood and gave a strong unifying factor that led to easy formation of dire movement to both Uganda in diaspora and those who were living in the country. In this episode nipping bud. The Acholi/Lango political will remained viable, although there was weakness, but the creeks were not visible.
Is there any Wodokello Lawoko as an example in the 21 Century, who started Acholi /Lango development unity, in the current Kampala regime.
Leason learned
Why Wodokello Lawoko’s strong appeals were not adopted in the aftermath of Amin’s era, more chaos emerged between Acholi/Lango that led to the collapse of Fr. Apollo Milton Obote II government and degenerated to conflict between the two Lou tribes.
However, the Wodokello Lawoko vision still remains strong as Lango communities settle in each 8 districts of Acholi Sub Region, but to the contrary Dr Jane Ruth Aceng and many leading scholars and political heads in the two main Luo tribes are very divisive.
As Wodokello Lawoko trashed genocide in the 1970s, the counter governance used semi-illiterates both Local Council, army officers and deep state work in Governor Fadhul footmark. The hallmark is visible, in smart genocide, land grabbing by Acholi elites, including Army officers are the order of the day.
How many Onziga do we have and Alii?
