by Nurat Uthman
South Sudanese have turned to social media calling for the release of Kalisto Ladu, the former Mayor of Juba, who was seized by armed men over the weekend, according to his wife Ann Grace Juan, and eyewitnesses.
Ladu was reportedly battered and taken to an undisclosed location after he “was brutally beaten quickly and thrown into the pick-up (truck) pushed down,” Juan told VOA.
Juan said Ladu’s abductors “divided themselves, some got into his car and others in the military vehicle then they drove away.”
“They came in two vehicles, one, a pick-up, and a tinted Toyota Noah. Some of the officers were armed in uniform while others were not,” she added.
Ladu’s phone has been turned off, and nobody knows his whereabouts, Juan said while calling on authorities to find the former mayor.
Dina Nyoka, a resident of Munuki, the area where Ladu was taken away, said she witnessed the former mayor being attacked in the late hours of the night.
Nyoka said she heard commotion but could not identify the perpetrators because it was dark.
“I heard the sound of beating and wondered what was happening at night, so I opened my door and saw cars, but I didn’t see the people next to him because it was dark,” Nyoka said, adding, “the incident happened at around 12 am.”
Merekaje Lorna, a South Sudanese civil society leader, condemned Ladu’s detention. She called on authorities to respect the former mayor’s rights.
“The issue of being beaten before arrest is a big problem in this country. And as a civil society activist and human rights defender, I would like to say that we need to adhere to the law,” Lorna said.
“When somebody is being arrested, the arresting authority needs to inform the family and identify them. So, as a human rights defender, I would say that one, the family has a right to know where he (Ladu) is being kept,” she added.
Despite the allegations of Ladu’s arrest, authorities say there is no record of his detention.
Daniel Justin, the spokesperson for South Sudan’s National Police Service, said that “there is no case against him (Ladu) in our police stations,” adding, “we have just got information on social media.”
Justin referred people to the spokesperson of the National Security Service for insight into Ladu’s whereabouts.
VOA reached out to David Kumuri, the spokesperson for the South Sudan National Security Service, in attempt to discern Ladu’s location.
Kumuri said information on Ladu’s whereabouts “did not reach my table as a spokesperson of the National Security, but I will consult with the leadership.”
“I request that from tomorrow onwards you can inquire if there’s anything,” he added.
Ladu, who in 2021 briefly held the post of mayor, attracted attention after he launched initiatives focused on fighting land grabbing in Juba.
