Four prison guards have been arrested in connection with the death of an inmate in Yei River County of South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State, police authorities said.
The guards are accused of beating Robert Bida, a 20-year-old inmate at the Yei prison to death on Monday evening.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, the chief inspector of police in Yei River County Brigadier Sabino Dominic Tobo said a committee to probe the matter has been set up.
“We have formed an investigation committee to investigate the matter because people say, the man was beaten but we are still waiting for the post mortem results from the hospital. There are four people including an officer in custody for that issue,” Brig. Dominic said.
The medical director at the Yei Civil Hospital, Dr.Joseph Malish, who carried out the post mortem said Bida’s body bore signs of physical assault.
“After our examination, we found out that there are signs of physical assault in the chest, the elbows, and in the back as well and the major ones I can say measures from 8 to 10cm large, a sign that indicates there is a massive injury that had happened in the sensitive areas like the kidney and the head,” Dr. Malish revealed.
Meanwhile, Muto Emmanuel, a civil society activist in Yei applauded the police for detaining the suspects and called for justice.
“We still call for justice, justice must prevail until when these people are punished, that’s when we shall be happy,” Emmanuel said.
Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa, Yei County Commissioner condemned the act and urged the communities to remain calm as investigations are conducted.
“The prison wardens are wrong because they did not follow the right path but an investigation is going on and people should be calm,” he urged.