Local News Round-Up: Police commissioner calls upon citizens to respect the law and other news stories from across Western Equatoria State
The police commissioner of Yambio County in Western Equatoria State, James Enoka is calling upon citizens to observe the law and always learn to solve domestic issues in a peaceful manner.
By Sylviah Naipanoi
The police commissioner of Yambio County in Western Equatoria State, James Enoka is calling upon citizens to observe the law and always learn to solve domestic issues in a peaceful manner.
He was speaking in the wake of an incident where a middle-aged man seriously injured his wife over a family dispute in Kpirabe, Yambio residential area on Monday, 18th August. Speaking to Radio Anisa, the commissioner said that the culprit has been arrested and he is in police custody waiting to be arraigned before the court of law.
Commissioner Enoka added that the man admitted his crime explaining that it was a result of anger that made him take the law into his own hands thus seriously injuring his wife to a point of being admitted in hospital due to the injuries sustained.
Enoka confirmed that the injured woman is currently receiving treatment at Yambio State hospital, and he thanks neighbors who intervened and save the woman’s life.
Domestic violence cases have increased considerably in Western Equatoria; although the commissioner did not reveal the statistics, he mentioned that quite a number of cases are currently being handled in the court.
Enoka is, therefore, urging members of the public to solve family disputes traditionally citing that through this people will have peace in their families instead of killing or injuring each other.
Meanwhile, three judges in charge of a mobile court have been sent from Juba to Yambio to solve pending criminal cases in a period of one month. The last time the mobile court was in Yambio from January to February 2020.
According to Yambio police commissioner James Monday, police are facing a lot of challenges because of lack of magistrates in the state, something he says that the governor of Western Equatoria Alfred Futuyo promised to look into. The governor had promised to request from Juba a permanent resident Judge for the state to ease the work of the police.
Several weeks ago, the Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO) a non-governmental organization based in Yambio, presented their plea to the governor requesting the presence of a permanent Judge in Western Equatoria State. SPIDO had expressed the same complaint that many cases that could be quickly resolved if a judge was permanently present are currently pilling up in police stations.
Concerning the security situation in Yambio, Enoka said that everything is under control and that all lawbreakers have been arrested, citing that patrols are ongoing to ensure that people respect the curfew time.
In a separate incident, the House of Hope Orphanage calling for help. The manager of the orphanage based in Yambio County of Western Equatoria State Mr. Simon Gardino has expressed that the orphanage is in dire need and any assistance from well-wishers to help take care of the orphans is highly welcomed.
He said that restrictions of movement and lockdowns imposed by the government to help curb the possible spread of coronavirus in the country has adversely affected the activities at the orphanage and presented a myriad of challenges.
House of Hope orphanage is an initiative by the Evangelical Lutheran Church Bishops, to take care of orphans whose parents died during the war. It currently has 24 orphans, among who are 12 girls and 12 boys. One of the orphans Awadeya Evalene expressed that since schools have been suspended due to COVID 19, she’s been unhappy because she misses school so much. She urged all children whose parents are alive to respect and help their parents.
