Kampala — A 12-year-old girl was last week married off to a 13-year-old boy after her parents accepted sh500,000 as bride-price.

However, the "marriage" was shortlived after the Police arrested their parents, who are residents of Olok displaced persons camp in Amuru district over abetting defilement.

Olok Ajum and Benedetta Adong (girl's parents), as well as Mutto Acellam and Alice Layado (the boy's parents) were arrested for consenting to the marriage.

Robinah Oceng, the Amuru Police community liaison officer, said the arrest followed a tip from the neighbours.

She said Ajum and Acellam were transferred to Gulu Police station for prosecution, while the Adong and Layado were released on Police bond. Oceng, however, said the children were not arrested because they are minors.

She warned parents against settling defilement cases, which she said is a capital offence that is tried by court.

Amuru resident district commissioner (RDC) Edwin Yakobo Komakech quoted the girl's parents as saying they opted to marry off their daughter because she had become unruly.

They accused the girl of refusing to return home after she 'eloped' with her 13-year-old boyfriend and had since lived with him at his parents home.

"Whenever we tried to bring her back home, she would escape and return to the boy's place and we decided to marry her off," Komakech quoted Ajum as saying.

"Besides promoting defilement, such acts ruin our culture. People need to be sensitised as they return to their villages from the camps because more of incidences like this could occur but would go unnoticed as people would be isolated," Komakech warned.