By Ijoo Bosco
Youth Union in Eastern Equatoria State is calling on government to investigate the killing of a 35-year-old boda boda rider in Torit town on Tuesday night.
The late identified as Nelson Mathiang was beaten and hanged to death by unknown assailants.
In a statement to this publication, David Orupi, Eastern Equatoria Deputy Youth Union leader, condemned the criminal act, calling for an immediate investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“This is very unfortunate for the people of Eastern Equatoria State. As youth union leaders, we strongly condemn this criminal act against an innocent young man who was well-liked throughout Torit,” he said.
“We are saddened by this news and totally discourage such violence within our community. We hope this isolated incident can be handled by the security apparatus of Eastern Equatoria State, despite the increasing criminal activities in the town. Those responsible should be pursued, arrested, and investigated,” said Orupi.
Meanwhile, Torit Mayor Mustafa Albino Zachariah confirmed the incident and stated that an investigation has been launched, asserting that the matter cannot be allowed to go unaddressed.
He acknowledged that the victim was an energetic man who appeared to have been overpowered by more than four individuals, leading to his death as he was found with his neck tied.
“Yes, we are investigating, and we will not let this situation pass without action. His motorcycle, phone, and money were taken, and the manner in which he was hanged suggests that multiple people were involved. Two or three individuals could not have overpowered him given his physical strength. It seems there were more than four people involved, as they used an inner tube to strangle him,” said Mustafa.
The mayor noted that he was informed of the incident at around 5 AM via a phone call from a boda boda rider near the scene where the victim was discovered in the Malakia residential area of Torit.
Mustafa immediately directed his security personnel to the scene, where they found the deceased lying at a junction in Malakia.
Torit municipal authorities have recorded at least three killings this year, with no suspects arrested yet.