At least five people have been abducted by a group of unknown gunmen in Wito Payam of Mundri East County, Western Equatoria State on Wednesday.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj the Commander of South Sudan People Defend Force in Wito Payam Captain Morris Ngor, said some youth working on the Wito-Diko road were attacked by criminals.
He said he warned the youth to take security precautions but they ignored his advice.
“They insisted and started the work. I even went up there, the road was good. So a few days after I came back, I heard that criminals came and abducted 10 people, five men, and five women. But the women were later released. For me as a security analyst, these are just criminals," he explained.
Ngor said the proliferation of arms in civilian hands is to blame for such criminal acts.
“I told the administrator and chiefs, that since these are their children, they should talk to them and send them a message to come back to the community. Such acts are not good. Let them come back and cultivate, it is the season for cultivation," Ngor advised.
Meanwhile, Wito Payam Administrator Serifino Kenyi said the criminals also stole fuel and other personal belongings of the youth who were constructing the road.
"We need to collect all the accurate information then we will decide to recover those people taken to the bush. We will make sure that those people return because they are civilians," Double Seven De Clement the Legal Police Officer in greater Mundri said.
According to the authorities, local youth started working on the 36 mile-road early this month.