COURTESY PHOTO ( Lubowa Abubaker – Anadolu Agency )
By Aaron Sseruyigo & News Agencies
Security officials have arrested an Imam who killed a Christian pastor on June 11 for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Muslims in Uganda.
Bishop Francis Obo was the senior pastor of Mpingire Pentecostal Revival Church Ministries International in Odapako village Mpingire Sub-County and oversaw 17 churches across the region.
According to American non-denominational, evangelical Christian online newspaper, the Christian post, the accused, identified as Imam Uthman Olingha, told police he can’t regret that he killed Bishop Francis Obo, because of Allah’s word to kill all infidels who “mislead” Muslims by sharing the Gospel.
He added that Allah will be with him in jail, but “the kafiri (infidel) deserved the killing.”
On the day of the murder, sources say Olingha was one of the Muslim extremists dressed in Islamic attire who stopped Pastor Obo and his wife Christine Obo on their way home from a market at about 8:30 p.m.
Describing the incident, Christine Obo said, “As I moved a few meters in a hurry trying to save my life, I heard a little noise and wailing from my husband and realized that his life was in danger.”
When she reached home, she was trembling and unable to speak, she told media, and her children took her to a hospital. When she regained consciousness the following morning, she told her oldest son and his siblings to go to the site.
“Reaching there, they were shocked and fearful as they found a big number of Christians and relatives gathered around the dead body mourning their bishop after being murdered by Muslims,” Mrs. Obo was quoted as saying.
Investigating police found suspect Olingha with blood on his clothes and shoes, area Christians told media. They arrested him and another suspect identified as Jafari Kato.
The bishop leaves behind a widow and 13 children.
The pastor had been active in sharing Christ with Muslims locally and in the surrounding area, leading many of them to faith in Christ and discipling them, his wife Christine said.
“Some Muslims had earmarked him as someone who has been misleading their fellow Muslims and had been warned to stop converting Muslims to Christianity,” she said.
On June 4 the couple had hosted a former Islamic teacher who testified on how he became a Christian at their church, she said.
“It was on Friday afternoon fellowship, and some Muslims bypassed our church and heard him speak in Arabic in the church, and this made some to peep into the church to see what was going on,” Mrs. Obo said. “They were surprised to hear him praising Jesus as Lord. They went away, and I believe they shared this with their leaders, which led to my husband’s death.”
