A middle school in Kabale was forced to close its doors this week after a series of disturbing incidents described by students and teachers as “demonic attacks.” Since the beginning of the term, dozens of pupils had reportedly been “possessed,” screaming, fainting, crawling on the floor, hitting themselves, and speaking in incoherent voices.
Witnesses say that during a recent school meeting held to address the matter, at least nine students began barking like dogs, crawling on their bellies like snakes, and calling out the name of a teacher, claiming he had “sacrificed” them in some kind of ritual.
A spiritual conference and prayer service had been hastily organized by the local community, but to no avail. Tensions boiled over when enraged parents stormed the accused teacher’s home, setting fire to his property. Four houses belonging to him were destroyed, along with barns containing goats, sheep, pigs, and crops. The teacher, who has denied any wrongdoing, was suspended along with another staff member.
Meanwhile, local police have vowed to track down and prosecute the vandals. “We will hold accountable those who took the law into their own hands,” said a police spokesperson.
As fear and superstition swirl across the district, one resident put it this way: “Sometimes, the people with the smallest guts have the biggest gut feelings.”
Edirisa, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1735838
