Authorities in Lakes State have arrested two former commissioners of Abiriu and Duony Counties of the defunct Gok State in Yirol East County.
The two arrested over the weekend by security forces were identified as Bol Madok and Abraham Gop Achien.
One of the former commissioners who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals said that no charges have been brought against them since they were taken and imprisoned in Yirol East County on Saturday night.
“We were invited officially for a meeting and we came and waited for the meeting until the time reached 8 pm and immediately the CID police took us away in a vehicle from Cueibet to Rumbek and up to Yirol East County,” he said. “We did not know why we are being arrested because we have done nothing. We did not even apply for the position of commissionership since we were relieved and we were not either opposing the unification of Lakes State or opposing anybody appointed as the commissioner of Cueibet County.”
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Anger Meen Jok, the wife of the arrested former commissioner, Abraham Gop, said that her husband was invited by the commissioner of Cueibet County for a meeting and since then he had not returned home in Abiei-cok Payam.
She accused the current commissioner of Cueibet County, Isaac Akol Mathiang, of arresting her husband and the former commissioner of the defunct Abiriu County, Bol Madok.
“When I heard the information that my husband was taken to Rumbek, I immediately rushed following them to Rumbek, but I did not get them. Until now I do not know their whereabouts in Lakes State,” Meen said. “I did not know the reason why my husband was arrested. I went to the governor to find out from him why my husband was arrested and his whereabouts in Lakes State but I was denied access to the governor by the security guards until I came back for the children.”
The Inspector of Police in Yirol East County, Machiek Roc Mathiang, confirmed that the two former commissioners of Abiriu and Duony counties in the defunct Gok State are in police custody in Yirol East County.
“They were brought here by the national security forces at night to the commissioner and the commissioner of Yirol East County immediately handed them over to us here without an arrest warrant,” Inspector Roc said. “Now they are with us in the police and we don’t know the reason they have been arrested in Yirol East County. In the morning I went to the commissioner and asked him where the arrest warrant letter was but the commissioner told me there is no arrest warrant.”
The commissioner of Cueibet County, Isaac Akol Mathiang, said he was in a meeting when contacted about the issue.
However, the police investigation officer in Yirol East County, Benson Atem, confirmed that the former commissioners are in police custody in Yirol East County.
“I am a police officer in charge of the investigation department in Yirol East County and I can confirm to you that these two former commissioners are arrested and they are here in the police station but they have not been investigated since they were brought here,” Atem said.