By Yang Ater Yang
A truck driver has been killed in Abiriu Payam, Cueibet County of Lakes State by an unknown gunman, police have reported.
Major Elijah Mabor Makuac, the police spokesperson in Lakes State said the incident occurred on Sunday, July 14th, when an unidentified criminal killed the driver of a large truck with the license plate SSD 327 BU BA 990.
Makuac identified the victim as Elijah Mesa Wyaidupi, a driver from Kenya. The incident took place in the Ajok area under Abiriu Payam of Cueibet County, around 8:00 PM.
“The police tried to go to the crime scene to investigate the crime, but later found that the vehicle was actually driven away from the road, and the driver was killed after being shot. He died there,” Makuac told the No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper on Monday.
The police spokesperson further stated that the deceased’s body was taken to Rumbek State Hospital and later transported to Juba. The investigation is still ongoing to identify the perpetrator.
Daniel Laat Kon, a civil society activist in Lakes State, confirmed that they had received a report from the ground about a truck driver being shot and killed by an unknown gunman between Cueibet and Rumbek.
Kon said this incident serves as an “alarm signal” that road ambushes are making a comeback, and it is the responsibility of the state government to ensure that the criminals are apprehended and brought to justice.
“If they are apprehended and taken to court, and other unknown gunmen who may repeat the same thing in other areas may fear, this is one of the reasons we say the security needs to be beefed up, and there is a need to strengthen the rule of law,” Kon said.
He emphasized that the state government needs to take immediate action to address the issue of unknown gunmen to prevent further incidents and ensure the safety of road users.