Police in Arua have arrested and detained an officer attached to Koboko district local government over allegations of child neglect.
Tom Onzivua, the Koboko district Entomologist, was arrested on Tuesday from his home in Komite village, Pajulu sub-county in Arua district after his children and their mother reported a case of neglect.
The in-charge of child and family protection unit in Arua, Lillian Dravuru, says Onjivua was accused by his wife Grace Adrasiru of abandoning his family.
In her statements at police, Adrasiru claims that Onjivua had not been helping the family for the last three months.
The couples have five children, three boys and two girls.
Adrasiru says when Onzivua goes for his work in Koboko, he forgets about them and since February this year, Onjivua has not bought food, clothes and he also stopped paying school fees for the children. He only pays house rent.
Adrasiru said this is the fifth time she has dragged Onjivua to police over the same matter.
But Onjivua told police that he had been sending money for Adrasiru using mobile money through his first wife who was not giving her the money which claim police is still investigating.
Dravuru, however, said her office decided to arrest and charge Onjivua for child neglect following the numerous complains her office had registered from his wife.
Dravuru added that upon investigations, Onjivua will be produced in court to answer charges of child neglect.
She said cases of child neglect are on increase in Arua district with the majority of those accused being the working class.
Dravuru says her office registers at least 20 to 25 cases of child neglect every week up from 12 to15 cases last year.
