By Ijoo Bosco
Eastern Equatoria State governor Louis Lobong Lojore on Tuesday summoned Lafon community leaders to address the youth aggression that led to the closure of the Lafon county commissioner’s office over the weekend.
Elia John Alhaj, the state Minister of Information and Communication, described the incident as shocking news to the government.
He explained that the Pari Monyomiji, a traditional leadership group, went and locked the commissioner’s office, threatening to beat him up if he attempted to return to the office, on the pretext that they did not want him as the commissioner.
Minister Elia reiterated that the state authority has tasked the Pari community leadership to communicate with their Monyomiji, known as Wegi Pac, and advise them not to take the law into their own hands.
Instead, they should follow the due process if they have any complaints against the commissioner.
“So, H.E. the governor called an urgent meeting for Pari community leaders and the political leaders to come and inform them exactly what happened in Lafon.”
“If the commissioner has done anything wrong, they should follow the procedure by filing the complaint to the relevant party, and the relevant party will evaluate those mistakes committed by the commissioner. If they are sufficient for his removal, it can be decided, but not for the Monyomiji to take the law into their hand,” Elia explained.
Elia further appealed to the Monyomiji of Pari in Lafon County to respect the commissioner, as he is representing the Governor and the President in their area.
He warned the Pari youth to refrain from taking the law into their own hands against government officials, stating that the consequences would be regrettable.
On the other hand, Simon Ugwak, the Pari community chairperson in Eastern Equatoria state, criticized the action taken by the Wegi Pac against the county commissioner, describing it as unlawful.
He appreciated the Governor’s initiative to call them for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue and communicate with the youth and elders in the community to desist from their actions and follow the right procedures if they have any complaints against the commissioner.
Ugwak directed his call to the Wegi Pac to stop all forms of action towards the commissioner and urged all people to remain in their places and allow the government to handle the matter.