By Adia Jildo
The Mayor of Juba City Council Michael Ladu Allah-Jabu has said over 600 people according to their security report from the year 2019- 2022 died due to alcohol related death in the city.
Street children and elderly are the most victims of the result of alcohol consumption in the city. Recently, the city Mayor ordered the ban of spirit alcohol in the city.
Since then, about 300-500 boxes of spirit alcohol were daily confiscated by the Juba city council and culprits were apprehended.
“Every week, we bury around 10, 7 or 6 and least number is 5 people and in other cases even 5 people are gotten dead in a day,” he said.
Micheal said most of the victims range from the age of 7-18 years and elderly people.
He said forensic department of police reports that death is related to alcohol and alcohol consumption on empty stomach.
However survey by the city council’s security organs found out that spirit alcohol manufactured in Juba are not registered with the ministry of trade nor authenticated by the Bureau of standards of South Sudan.
“We found that some people have the license of the hardware where they were meant to sell food commodities, is the same license they use to sell spirit alcohol in these houses,” Micheal Ladu Allah-Jabu the Mayor of Juba City Council told No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper’s journalist in an interview on recent ban of alcohol in shops.
“100 mills spirit alcohols are manufactured in food stores and in residential areas and we realized that they are also sold in food stores, small bars and shops in residential areas,” he said.
Michael said the prices of the alcohol are so cheap that it can be accessed by anyone at a pocket friendly price.
“Three bottles of these spirit alcohols is sold at one hundred pounds which is very cheap and accessible,” he said.
“When these alcohols are found, they are confiscated, and taken to the police. It’s the responsibility of the city council to ensure that, that particular person is punished,” he continued, “The security personnel, department of public orders are working together with the Juba city council to make sure those disrespecting the law will be apprehended” he said.
Michael said the contemporary court in Juba only punishes with fines and other processes are done by the police service.
“Every day, we are apprehending not less than 500 boxes of spirit alcohol. They are producing it in big numbers inside their houses, resident areas not even companies” Ladu continued.
The national minister of trade and industry earlier also banned spirit alcohol from being imported into the country.
Michael Ladu said Juba teaching hospital in collaboration with the Juba city Council spend at least 120,000 South Sudanese Pounds to bury dead bodies.