By Kei Emmanuel Duku
Commissioner of Kajo-Keji County has attributed a Sunday incident where a businessman identified as “Mogga” and others were robbed at gunpoint by men in army uniforms to the National Salvation Front (NAS).
The incident took place in Leikor Trading Centre, Kangapo One Payam, Keji-Kajo County of Central Equatorial State where five suspected NAS rebels dressed in army uniforms entered one of the Pub and ordered all the customers to enter one of the rooms before robbing them of their valuable assets before shooting bullets in the air.
According to an eyewitness who does not want to be identified by his name for safety concerns, the suspects came on foot via flying Dove Playground.
“They collected phones, Money Hard drinks, cigarettes, and everything of people doing business around the building. Mogga a businessman became a victim when he escaped from the room and tried to rush to a nearby police station to report the incident his phone and money were taken too when the police responded they had already left but nobody was injured,” narrated the eye witness.
However, Kajo-Keji County Commissioner, David Lisi Christopher described the security in the county as “normal” as farmers and business people continue to carry out their routine activities.
He added that after robbing the civilians the armed men took the Eastern direction heading to Lemi Boma an area the Commissioner said is a base for the NAS rebels.
He attributed the robbery to NAS forces stationed along the South Sudan-Uganda porous borders. He noted that after the Sunday incident was reported to the Police, however, no suspects have been apprehended
“Our forces followed the footsteps of the suspect but when they reached the cattle kraal, the footsteps disappeared so I believe they crossed to Uganda through Lemi,” he said.
“We don’t have people who are enemies of the government in Kajo-Keji but we only have individuals with an interest in targeted killing and looting, the NAS forces have no barracks here (Kajo-Keji) not even many, you only find them in groups of 3-4 but many of them are in the refugee camps when they are entering Uganda, they leave their guns at the border and cross to Uganda. When returning they collect their guns at the border then loot and kill civilians,” said Christopher.
Despite Executive Orders issued by the former Governor of Central Equatorial State directing cattle herders to leave Kajo Keji County, Hon. Christopher reported that there is still presence of Ambororo herders in the county causing panic among the civilians.