A tragic attack has rocked Lokiliri Payam of Juba County after armed men gunned down two parents and abducted five children in an incident described by activists as “unacceptable and criminal.”
The victims, identified as Agnes Moyo Ajo, who was pregnant, and her husband Abraham Ladu Dominic Okelo, were killed at around 11 p.m. on Sunday near Aru Junction. According to reports, the killings occurred in front of their two young sons, Zakaio Ladu Abraham (7) and Thomas Laku Abraham (4), who were later abducted by the attackers.
Three other children from two different families were also taken. They include Daniel Tombe Joseph (1½ years), Jamal Tombe Emmanuel (6), and Isaac Ladu Emmanuel (4).
“This is an act of crime against humanity that should not be condoned,” said Edmond Yakani, Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), in a statement on Monday. “Two parents were brutally murdered in the presence of their children, and those children are now in captivity. It is heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
Yakani condemned the attack, calling it a “slave trade behavior” and demanded urgent government intervention to protect civilians in Lokiliri Payam, which has seen recurring incidents of abductions and killings.
He pointed fingers at criminal elements allegedly from Greater Pibor Administrative Area, stressing that these acts do not represent the people of Pibor but rather “individuals with criminal minds.”
“I urge the leadership of Central Equatoria State and the Chief Administrator of Greater Pibor to coordinate and ensure these criminals are brought to book,” Yakani added. “The government must take responsibility for the safety and protection of civilians—it is a constitutional obligation.”
Local residents have repeatedly raised alarms over insecurity in Lokiliri, accusing authorities of neglect. The latest attack has once again raised questions about the government’s ability to curb cross-border raids and child abductions in Central Equatoria.
Security forces are yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident or the whereabouts of the abducted children.
