The deputy mayor for infrastructure and development at the Juba City Council (JCC) has justified and defended his slapping of a traffic police officer on 25 November in Buluk in Juba.
Addressing a press conference in Juba on Tuesday, Thiik Thiik Mayardit said his action was to defend himself and his boss Juba City Mayor Michael Allajabu. The duo was superintending over the demolition of illegal structures built on road reserves in Buluk, near the traffic police office.
“As we were opening the road, a traffic police officer approached us and I asked him to stop and he asked who I was to stop him. He kept coming towards us and the mayor also told him to stop but he asked who the mayor was to stop him,” he explained. “He kept walking towards the mayor and I asked him what was wrong with him and he approached me intending to fight me. That is when I slapped him. After the slap, he stopped.”
Following the incident, the Director General of the Traffic Police, Major General Kon John Akot, wrote the justice ministry requesting authorization to prosecute Deputy Mayor Thiik.
“The administration of South Sudan National Traffic Police is writing to your authority requesting you to open a case against the above-mentioned person. Your usual cooperation and approval are highly appreciated,” Gen. Akot’s letter read in part.
However, according to Thiik, the ‘assaulted’ traffic officer approached him the evening of the same day, apologized, and was handed back his sidearm.
“At around 4 pm he (officer) came back and apologized and I forgave him and handed him his pistol,” Thiik said.
The deputy mayor faulted the traffic police boss for failing to follow the right procedures when he wrote to the justice minister to prosecute him (Thiik) for assaulting the police officer.
“He (Gen. Akot) does not know his boss and that he cannot write directly to the ministry of justice. His boss is the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) for Traffic and he should have written to him. His boss would have written to the IGP who would write to the interior ministry which would then write to the justice ministry,” he explained. “In that matter, the minister of interior is not responsible to me, the only person who is responsible to me is the governor of Central Equatoria.”
Thiik said he is ready to face the law in case the matter goes to court.
“I am very ready to stand before the court because I do not fear anything related to the matter and I have already spoken to the justice minister who sent the letter back to the interior ministry because it was not procedural,” he concluded.