Residents of South Sudan’s Unity state concerned over Kidnap of orphan

Thuok Gai Buong, step-father of the victim of kidnap in Bentiu town.

By Chondok Stephen Magei

She was hoodwinked by her would be kidnapper with pint of milk, sweets and was never seen again, sowing panic and fear among the civilian population in Bentiu town of northern Unity State in South Sudan.
The victim of the kidnap on Saturday believed to be the first of it’s kind is 11-year-old Marnaath Gatjang Riek, an orphan living under the care of her step-father in Bentiu town.
Gatjiang is reported to have vanished with her suspected kidnapper, a woman from Panyijiar County who had passed off for her maternal aunt.
Thuok Gai Buong, the victim’s step-father, and also chairman of trade union in Bentiu confirmed that his daughter (Gatjiang) went missing with a strange woman who had spent four days at his home.
“The woman (stranger) spent three days and after introduced herself to be the aunt of the kidnapped child,” he told Juba Echo in Bentiu on Tuesday.
“The abduction took place when I left home for work, when we come back from work, we found that Marnaath Gatjang is not at home, that woman is not her relative at all, I have reported this case of kidnap to unity state police headquarter, and all check points so that they can arrest that woman,” added Gai.
Gai disclosed that the alleged kidnapper prior to leaving his home with Gatjiang had informed him that she was headed for Juba, capital of South Sudan and then later to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
“She bribed the child (Gatjiang) with milk and sweets, and also confused her with her claim of being her maternal aunt, I talked with Koch County, Guit and Leer County authorities to alert them on the strange woman’s movement,” said Gai.
Col. Banydeet Thokwath, Joint police operation commander in Unity State, confirmed registering a case of kidnap at the police headquarter in Bentiu town.
“We have deployed some police personnel to arrest the suspected kidnapper,” said Thokwath.
“Child abduction is illegal and such a person should be arrested, and detained for more than 5 years,” he added.