Lakes state government denies executing prisoner

December 11, 2015 (RUMBEK) – South Sudan’s Lakes state government has denied having executed a police officer who was arrested and detained for killing a civilian in revenge for his son’s death, but relatives insisted they didn’t know his whereabouts since the arrest.

Makuei Getchier, police personnel, was arrested for killing of Marial Makuac Jiek on 22 November, 2015 in revenge. He accused his victim of killing his son, three months earlier, and gunned him down in front of Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) branch in Rumbek town.

The police officer, who used to serve in Rumbek police department in Pan-awac village of Rumbek East county of the state, then surrendered himself to the police for the crime.

He was driven away in a military land-cruiser to unknown location but it was largely believed to he was taken to Aber military secret prison, located in western part of Rumbek.

However, his relatives said the arrested police officer has been executed by the order of the state government and this explained the reason they could not be told his whereabouts in order to visit him.

A close relative of the missing police criminal who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal accused Lakes state military caretaker governor, Major Generaal Matur Chut Dhuol for allegedly ordering the execution of Makuei on 23 November at 5pm local time.

However, governor’s security advisor, Marial Amuom Malek, dismissed the accusation but failed to disclose the whereabouts of Makuei.

“Makuei Getchier is alive – he is being kept somewhere – he is under investigation,” he told Sudan Tribune.

Makuei’s wife has been demanding to know the whereabouts of her husband but security agents and police have not cooperated.

The police personnel, Makuei, who put the law into his own hands by killing a person in direct revenge for his son’s murder, was widely condemned by the colleagues in the police uniform and public as well, saying he should have acted within the parameters of the law.

(ST)