At least two men, including a disabled health worker, were shot dead, and a woman was severely beaten over an adultery case in Itueso Village in Eastern Equatoria State’s Ikotos County on Thursday evening.
The unfortunate incident happened when two armed men, a father and his son, from Itueso went to Ngaluma to demand a traditional fine, commonly known as kasurubet, for adultery, which is paid to the family of the husband whose wife is involved in an illicit affair.
According to the local authorities in Ikotos, when the two armed men failed to locate the man accused of adultery, they started dragging and beating his mother, forcing local men who were fixing hoes nearby to intervene. The assailants then opened fire and instantly killed two local men identified as Lohou Kadong, 45, and Clement Ilurit, 55.
The killings angered the youth of Itueso, who headed to Ngaluma for revenge, clashed with their counterparts there, and later made off with an unspecified number of cattle.
Ikotos County Paramount Chief Joseph Odong told Radio Tamazuj on Friday morning that the youth from Itueso and security forces are on the ground investigating the matter.
“Yesterday (Thursday) evening, an incident happened in Iteuso when some people came from Ngaluma to ask for a fine (Kasurubet), but they did not get the person who committed adultery. They grabbed the man’s mother and tried to take her with them,” he narrated. “In the process, a group of men who were fixing hoes nearby intervened and took the woman away from the. The attackers started shooting and killed two of the men who intervened before escaping.”
For his part, Gabriel Arok, Inspector of Police in Ikotos County, confirmed the incident, saying one suspect has been arrested and will be arraigned in court. He urged local communities to report criminal cases instead of taking the law into their own hands.
“We got the information this (Friday) morning. If we had been informed on time, we would have intervened. Unfortunately, people reveal crimes after the incidents and do not even report crimes,” he said. “The commissioner and police forces are now in Ngaluma and will give us a full report. The boy, Bosco Oryem, 20, who was moving with his father, is currently with us here in custody, but we have not started investigations yet.
Meanwhile, Muras Chacha, an SPLM Party legislator in the Eastern Equatoria State Parliament representing Ikotos County, condemned the violence and warned citizens from taking the law into their hands.
“Two close relatives beat their wife, who admitted that a certain man was using her. They immediately picked up guns and went to the home of the man, but they did not get him,” he explained. “They started brutally beating the man’s mother and some youths who were making hoes intervened. The local youths urged them to resolve the matter through dialogue, but the armed men started shooting and killed two men.”
“It is the wrong way of doing things because a crime (adultery) had already happened, and they should have opened a court case instead of taking the law into their hands and killing people,” Chacha added.