The governor of Western Bahr al Ghazal State says that the senior police officer killed in Tombura by unknown gunmen was an arms smuggler and ‘defector’ to the SPLA opposition faction.

Police Major Martin James Ibra was shot dead three weeks ago south of Wau in Tombura in Western Equatoria, a town near the border with the Central African Republic.  

Governor Rizik Zachariah Hassan accused the assassinated police officer of corruption and smuggling arms before defecting to SPLM/A in opposition, reported Voice of Hope FM in Wau.

The Catholic radio station added that the late police major was accused of stealing 5,000 South Sudanese Pounds from a fund of bail collections kept by the police service.

Also he was accused of looting ammunitions from the police store before his ‘defection.’ The governor is quoted as saying also that a criminal case was open against Ibra before his death.

Governor Zachariah said Major Ibra after defection travelled to different locations until he met his death in Tombura of Western Equatoria State.

The only independent account of the killing that has surfaced in media reports came from an eyewitness in Tombura cited by Sudan Tribune as saying that the police officer was killed by people who had ‘prior information’ about his whereabouts.

On 31 March, “He was on the motorbike coming to the market when gunmen emerged by the road and opened fire on him, killing him on spot… these people who killed him had prior information about him before taking the action,” the witness said.

Ibra’s body was taken back to Wau town and buried in his home village outside the town.

File photo: Governor Rizig Hassan Zacharia (Gurtong)

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