Vice-President Wani Igga’s office to investigate incident involving his bodyguards and a taxi driver along Juba-Nimule highway

The Press Secretary in the office of Vice President, James Wani Igga, Michael Alla Jabu has denied that the bodyguards of the vice president beat up a man who blocked their convoy in Sherikat, a suburb of Juba City.

Michael says on April 3, at around 11:45 am, while travelling to Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State , their convoy was bisected by a taxi (Noha) driver in Sherikat, “A man who we suspect was escaping inspection by traffic police entered in the middle of the convoy, immediately, the vice president’s closed protection guards tried to arrest him to hand him over to the concerned authorities, instead the driver of the Noah parked the vehicle blocking the Convoy, he tried to run away. “ Said Michael on phone from Magwi.

“In the process of apprehending him, he fell, knocking his face against a bodaboda (motorcycle) parked along the roadside and sustained bruises on his face.” Continued Michael.

Michael further said the car keys of the driver of the Noah (Mr. Diing Deng-Achuil) was taken from him by the guards and handed over to traffic police officers.

Michael says he is surprised by what is written in social media that the bodyguards of the vice president beat up Mr. Diing Deng-Achuil.

“I cannot say what we will do, we are still in Magwi, we have not yet sat down to decide what will be next but once we return to Juba, we will carry out a comprehensive investigation into the incident, find out the extent of the injury of the driver and decide what next.” Said Michael.

When Juba Echo contacted a family member of the victim, Jacob Diing Deng, brother to Mr. Diing Deng-Achuil (the driver of the Noah) he said what the family wanted was first to recover the car key and cell phone of the their son, the family already got the phone and the car key.

“We have taken Diing to hospital, he is getting treatment, we have also received his cell phone and the key of his car, I cannot say anything else about the rest of the things, they will be handled later.” Said Jacob.

In August last year, six bodyguards of South Sudan’s vice president were killed and two more injured in a road ambush.

Their convoy was attacked near Lobonok, James Wani Igga’s native village, located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the capital Juba.

Igga, one of South Sudan’s five vice presidents, was not in the convoy.