By Taban Henry
Authorities in Eastern Equatoria state are reporting the absence of police and security forces in Lohutok payam of Lopa-Lafon County as crime cases increases.
The report came after two brothers were killed at their garden by unknown assassin on Tuesday.
The Executive Director of Lopa-Lafon County, Martin Ojok Pio said the area has taken about 4 – 5 years without police or security forces which have inspired criminal activities.
“The county has stayed without forces long time ago when all the forces were taken to the state and were taken to the national government, for almost 4-5 years the county stayed without the armed forces,” the official said.
The Executive Director said the cause of the killing was not clear, but assumed it might be a quarrel among them over the issue related to boundaries of the garden.
Mr. Ojok said that the perpetrator has not yet been arrested, but stating that he ran into hiding.
However, the County official said due to lack of armed forces in the county, it is hard for them to arrest any perpetrator because they do not have armed forces; but commenting that the Monyomiji and the chief will try to see on to the matter in order to arrest the perpetrator.
Nevertheless, he said that despite the absence of the Police and security forces, they were able to apprehend some of the criminals with the help of the area chiefs.
Mr. Ojok is now calling on the government to assign police and security forces to keep law and order to provide security in the state.
“I am pleading to the government to send organized forces in the county to at least help curtail the increasing rates of crimes in the county to really maintain peace. We do not have police forces currently in the county including the other organized forces,” he said.
The local government representative stated that they are still gathering information from Lohutok, but the network is poor and is hindering the collection of facts from chief in Lohutok.
In relation to the insecurity and absence of Police, Ojok said they raised the issue to the State government through County Commissioner and only last month police were sent but briefly and went back.
The County official said he called for rescue from the police last month following a clash between two villages. He stated that, the police came with two vehicles to intervene in the fight; after stopping the fight, the police went back to the State’s headquarter.
“There was no response except from last month when Lacharok and Ohitojo villages clashed that left one wounded and the other lost his life, the state sent only the rescue team to curtail the fighting and the Police forces went back after they had stopped the clashes,” Ojok said.
Earlier in April one man was killed and others sustained injuries after two villages of Lacharok and Ohitojo in Lopa clashed.