Complainant withdraws assault case against former Ayivu MP, Atiku

Highlights

• The assault case which was filed two years ago at the Grade I Magistrate court in Arua
• The complainant, Madira Denis, has instead sought for reconciliation

By Aluma Aribo

A complainant who filed an assault case against Bernard Atiku, the former Member of Parliament for Ayivu County has withdrawn it but sought for reconciliation with the former legislator.

The assault case which was filed two years ago by Denis Madira Enocka was due for ruling before Grade 1 Magistrate Mr Edgar Tukahaabwe when state prosecutor Mr Thomas Ginyera stated that the complainant had made additional statements seeking for reconciliation.

Madira said he realized that there was a lot of divisionism in West Nile but called for the intervention of elders to unite the people. He said politics should not promote hostility among people.

“I believe that there is a time for everything. That was a time for us to fight, it is now a time for us to forgive. It is time for us to reconcile, if anybody has any issue against him now let him pursue another way, but today I decided to forgive him and set him free.”  

He told the court that there were people who wanted him to pursue the case to a conclusion, but he chose peace. He however declined to reveal who was pushing him.

On his part, Bernard Atiku said: “We had come here to get the judgement for this case only to be told that the complainant had lost interest in the case which to me is the right decision.”

He added: “…because I was being falsely accused of ulterior political motives, the people who are pushing the complainant are known members of Save Ayivu Initiative (SAI).”

“I take the reconciliation as a positive development but with a keen interest in the aftereffects. The complainant has raised pertinent concern about his life, it would be very important to know who those individuals are,” he said.