N. Bahr el Ghazal: Policeman arrested for criticizing governor

Police officer Alou Abik Abik

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State police on Monday arrested one of their officers for recurrently criticizing state governor Tong Akeen Ngor on social media and at public gatherings.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State police on Monday arrested one of their officers for recurrently criticizing state governor Tong Akeen Ngor on social media and at public gatherings.

Capt. Guot Guot Akol, the Northern Bahr el Ghazal police mouthpiece, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday afternoon that police officer Alou Abik Abik had indeed been detained for involvement in politics.

“The arrest is linked with his involvement in politics. Until now I have not asked him directly about it but he is a policeman and is attached to the Criminal Investigations Department. The investigators will come out with enough clear information,’’ Capt. Akol said.

Bona Bak Apeny, a critic of Governor Akeen Ngor, said the policeman was detained after he criticized the state governor for having not made any tangible achievements in the state. He qualified that the detained Abik was practicing his rights as a member of the SPLM youth league and not as a policeman and slammed the governor for forcing people to love him yet he performs poorly. 

“Alou Abik has been arrested on the orders of the state governor. The governor is complaining that Alou criticizes his government while he (Alou) is a policeman but in actual sense, he is a policeman but also a member of the state SPLM youth league. He criticizes the governor on social media and public places, saying that the governor is not doing anything in the state,’’ Apeny said.

A sister-in-law of the detained police officer who preferred anonymity said the former had not committed any crime and was arrested by his bosses on instructions of Governor Tong Akeen. 

She said: “I heard from him (Alou) that his senior officers or their commissioner ordered him to enter the jail due to the orders from the governor. I visited him this morning and no investigations were carried out and until now we don’t understand what is going on.” 

The Northern Bahr el Ghazal State governor, Tong Akeen, recently arrested social activist Samuel Garang and later sued him for defamation. A court in Aweil town on 28 June found the activist guilty and sentenced him to eight months in jail and ordered him to pay compensation of 2 million SSP.