Police in Northern Bahr El Ghazel state have arrested four gang members linked to the murder of a 22-year-old Ben Ojok in Aweil town in South Sudan.

The arrests were made on January 14, 2025, after an ongoing manhunt by police for the crime reportedly committed on Saturday, January 11, 2025.

Mary Nyanut Angok, an eyewitness, said Ojok was killed as he was returning home in Aweil town near the home of Deng Nhial, and his body was dumped in a nearby forest along the terrain path.

Angok added that these suspects committed this heinous crime under the influence of drugs and alcohol because they were part of a gang that usually dealt in drugs.

’’I saw these thugs dragging the body of this young man; that’s why I alerted the Northern Bahr El Gazal state police, and they acted promptly,’’ Angok disclosed.

Thomas Wani, the Northern Bahr El Gazal state police commissioner, confirmed the incident and revealed that the deceased died due to the severity of the knife stab wounds that were inflicted all over his body.

Wanii added that the suspects are currently in police custody and will be arraigned in court and charged for their crime.

’’The post mortem results show that the deceased died from serious knife injuries, and we suspect that the boys acted under the drug’s effectiveness or severity after inhaling them,” Wani said.

He mentioned that there has been a rise in the state’s youth involvement in drug and gang-related criminal activity, hence the increase in the crime rate in South Sudan.

Wani called on the public to be cooperative and give a helping hand to the security or law enforcement agencies by acting as key informers in relation to matters that concern them regarding insecurity and crime-related issues.

Recent articles from 2024 highlight various incidents of stabbings and related violence in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state, South Sudan.

On November 26, 2024, a 17-year-old boy was arrested for fatally stabbing his friend, Kuol Deng, in Aweil town. This incident underscores ongoing youth violence in the region.

The economic downturn and instances of criminals using drugs, such as tramadol, which the government previously enforced to outlaw, are among the issues facing the state administration that need to be solved promptly to promote security in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state and the neighboring areas in South Sudan.